This Sunday, the New England Patriots will face the Houston Texans in a divisional-round playoff game that features an intriguing sibling rivalry. Josh McDaniels, serving as the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, will go up against his younger brother Ben McDaniels, who is the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Texans.
During a press conference on Thursday, Patriots quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant shared how quarterback Drake Maye is adding a playful twist to the matchup. Having three older brothers himself, Maye is no stranger to sibling rivalries and is engaging in “friendly banter” with his offensive coordinator to help motivate him for the upcoming game.
“There”s some friendly banter going on between Drake and Josh and the McDaniels war,” Grant explained, as reported by Karen Guregian of MassLive. “But we try to make it about us and what we”re going to do.” Since the start of the season, there has been significant discussion about how McDaniels has played a key role in Maye”s development, helping him emerge as a candidate for the Most Valuable Player Award in just his second year.
In their recent wild-card matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on January 11, Maye showcased his skills by completing 17 of 29 passes for 268 yards, one interception, and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. As the Patriots prepare to face a formidable Texans defense, which recently scored two defensive touchdowns in a 30-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Maye knows he will need to elevate his game.
“He”s trying to get Josh riled up,” Grant said regarding Maye”s approach. “Josh is a very competitive person himself, so I think Drake tries to nudge him a little bit, which is fun for the room.”
In his media session, Josh McDaniels maintained a composed demeanor when discussing this sibling rivalry. “We”re looking forward to the opportunity… he”s trying to beat us like we”re trying to beat him,” he stated about the upcoming contest with Ben. “We compete in almost anything we do, honestly, which is kind of fun, and this will be no different.”
As of Friday morning, the DraftKings Sportsbook has the Patriots listed as three-point favorites over the Texans in this highly anticipated playoff showdown.
