How Patriots’ Drake Maye has been ‘riling up’ Josh McDaniels heading into Texans clash

The New England Patriots are seemingly loose and having a good time as they prepare to play the Houston Texans in the divisional playoff game Sunday.

Drake Maye has been ribbing Josh McDaniels about facing his brother all week, per QBs coach Ashton Grant.

"He's trying to get Josh riled up a little bit. Josh is a very competitive person himself, so I think Drake tries to nudge him a little bit, which is fun for the room." https://t.co/smgGDSSGeg

— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) January 15, 2026

The Texans are clearly a powerful force, particularly on defense where they finished as the top-ranked unit in the league. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has to be concerned about playing a team with dynamic pass rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. as well as cornerbacks Derrick Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, but he does not appear to be overly worried.

He has been having a good time as he prepares to execute offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ game plan. As he studies the way McDaniels wants the Patriots offense to attack. Maye has been kidding McDaniels because his brother Ben McDaniels is the Texans’ passing game coordinator.

Patriots-Texans means brother vs. brother

Patriots QB coach Ashton Grant said that Maye has been giving McDaniels a bit of a hard time. “He’s trying to get Josh riled up a little bit,” Grant said. “Josh is a very competitive person himself, so I think Drake tries to nudge him a little bit, which is fun for the room.”

Maye can laugh and joke because he has had a brilliant season. The MVP candidate has thrown for 4,394 yards while completing 72.0 percent of his passes. He has thrown 31 TD passes and just 8 interceptions.

The McDaniels brothers will be engaged in a battle as the game unfolds, and the play of the Patriots offense is going to be tested severely by the Houston defense. However, the same holds true for the Texans, as their play will have the challenge of competing against the New England defense.

Each brother would certainly like to see his unit succeed, but in the end, it’s all about surviving the divisional playoff game and advancing.

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