Le Journal

Mike Vrabel returned to New England on a mission to have the franchise playing again in meaningful games in January — as he did so often as a player. In his first year as the head coach, he wanted to do it by building a culture of players that wanted to perform for each another. Their most complete team effort of the season has the Patriots one win from a trip to the Super Bowl. Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a score and the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 on Sunday to advance to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years. The Patriots (16-3) will take on the Broncos (15-3) in Denver next Sunday, with the winner advancing to the NFL’s title game in three weeks. “Everybody’s stepping up. We’re using everybody. Everybody’s making plays. Everybody’s helping us win,” said Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a playmaking linebacker for the Patriots. “I’m excited for these guys, but also, they’re not satisfied, and I can tell that.” The Patriots — winners of 15 of their last 16 games — will make their 16th conference championship game appearance and first since their run to their sixth Super Bowl title under Bill Belichick in the 2018 season. New England has won its last nine divisional round games. Maye finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two in cold conditions in which snow and rain fell throughout. One of Maye’s fumbles set up Houston’s first touchdown. “Just proud of the guys,” Maye said. “Battled the elements. This is New England. This is what we’re trying to embrace and we want to embrace all season long. Props to our defense, played a hell of a game. We’ve got to protect the football better, but we made enough plays to win it.” Carlton Davis III had two interceptions for New England. Craig Woodson added an interception and fumble recovery. “They bring it every week,” Maye said of his defense. “It’s fun to watch. And we could help them out some more, but just proud of the guys. Enjoy this one, and we’re back on the road.” The eight combined turnovers — Woody Marks also lost a fumble for Houston — were the most in a playoff game since 2015 when the Cardinals and Panthers combined for eight in the NFC championship game. The Texans (13-6) have lost in the divisional round in three straight seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans. The franchise fell to 0-7 in this round. “It’s tough to win a game when you turn the ball over five times,” Ryans said. Stroud finished 20 of 47 with a TD pass. All of his interceptions came in the first half as he became the first player with five or more INTs and five or more fumbles in a single postseason. Will Anderson forced two fumbles for the Texans. “I feel like I let people down,” Stroud said. “I’m not happy with that. It hurts. I’m not used to it.” Leading 21-16 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots stretched their lead to 27-16 when Kayshon Boutte got behind Derek Stingley Jr. and pulled in a diving, one-hand catch in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. The Texans had the ball with 5:48 to play, but punted on fourth-and-18 at their own 21 with 4:18 remaining. New England’s next drive took the clock under two minutes. But the Texans turned it over on downs when Stroud’s fourth-down pass to Xavier Hutchinson was batted down by Robert Spillane. The Patriots now go back on the road, where they are 8-0 this season. “We feel like we deserve to be here,” Maye said. “I like our chances with those guys in the locker room.” Early Action With the Patriots leading 7-3 early, a series of miscues produced the next two scores. Maye was strip-sacked by Danielle Hunter deep in Patriots territory, but left tackle Will Campbell fell on the ball and the Patriots punted. The Texans gave it right back when Stroud’s deep pass along the sideline was intercepted by Davis III. Maye fumbled again when he…

Zac Efron is getting his head in the (football) game. The “High School Musical” star made a rare public appearance to watch the New England Patriots face off against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Jan. 18, hitting the field for a photo op with Patriots CEO Robert Kraft. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Efron, 38, smiled alongside Kraft, 84, while wearing one of the businessman’s NFL championship rings on his middle finger. He also showed his support for the team by donning their signature colors, keeping warm in a navy blue puffer coat with red zippers while pairing the garment with a dark hoodie and matching beanie hat. The sporty outing marked Efron’s first public appearance since November, when he made his long-awaited entry into the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom to support his brother Dylan Efron on the ABC competition series. And the gesture went a long way with Dylan, who was ecstatic to have his sibling watching on as he and his pro partner Daniella Karagach performed their routine. Hey @ZacEfron 👋 pic.twitter.com/w3yq5qwwaI— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 18, 2026 “It meant everything,” the 33-year-old told E! News’ Will Marfuggi at the time. “I grew up watching him do stuff like this, so the fact that he’s now watching me do this is crazy to me.” In fact, Zac Efron inadvertently created a viral moment when he reacted to Dylan Efron receiving a score of 27 out of 30, with cameras cutting to the actor asking if the total was a “good score.” However, the “Traitors” winner later revealed that his big bro felt the internet had misconstrued his reaction. “I can’t remember what he was saying, but I think he said that he thought it was a really good dance,” Dylan Efron explained on Sirius XM’s Radio Andy show “Smith Sisters Live” in December. “So he is like, ‘Is that the highest score they would give?’” “But it was funny regardless because Zac got defensive,” he continued. “He was like, ‘No, they misinterpreted what I meant!’”

In 2022, a group of freshmen hockey players joined the Clay Eagles team and vowed to turn around the fortunes of the program.

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Melia & Co appears to be a small family-run business. The sweaters on its website feature a photo of a woman hand-knitting a Christmas design. The caption says that after decades of creating knitwear that tells “quiet stories of care and beauty,” she is closing her little studio and the pieces on offer are her last.