Instant Replay: Patriots Beat Texans in AFC Divisional Round [VIDEO]

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The first half of the AFC Divisional round wasn't the walk that people thought it was going to be for the New England Patriots, but a turnaround in the second half guaranteed at least one more game in Foxborough this season.

Despite allowing the Houston Texans to hang around for the first two quarters, the team advanced to the AFC Championship game with a 34-16 victory. Next week's game will be New England's sixth consecutive conference championship game and the 13th in team history. The winner of the Pittsburgh-Kansas City game will travel to Foxborough next week.

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Dion Lewis did things that both excited and frightened the Gillette Stadium faithful. Acting as a triple threat for the team, the running back scored on a 10-yard screen pass, a 98-yard kickoff return that followed a Nick Novak field goal, and a 1-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter. The kickoff returned for a touchdown was the first in the team's postseason history and tops the previous best return of 80 yards by Ellis Hobbs in the 2006 AFC Championship game.

Lewis' one big fault came with 11:29 to play in the first half on a fumbled kickoff return following a 27-yard field goal from Houston's Nick Novak. The fumble allowed the Texans to score their lone touchdown of the game and turn an 11-point game into a 1-point deficit within seconds. By halftime, the Patriots were holding on to a 17-13 lead.

The Patriots, however, would outscore the Texans 17-3 in the second half, countering a difficult first half for the team. Afterward, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was none too pleased about his team's inconsistencies.

"(Houston) knocked the ball off of us. We fumbled, they intercepted us, we had too many balls out and we’re lucky we didn’t lose more than we did. But in the end we were able to take the ball away and play good in the red-area defensively," Belichick said. "We’re going to have to play better, coach better. I don’t think the coaching was all that good tonight, either. We have to play better, we have to coach better than we did tonight, or there won’t be much left in our season."

A pair of interceptions blemished a 287-yard, two-touchdown evening for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Looking inconsistent at times, Brady at points relied on a couple of long throws to move the ball down the field, most notably picking up large chunks of yards on a 45-yard pass to Chris Hogan on a second quarter drive that ended in a punt and a 48-yard pass to Julian Edelman on the next drive en route to a field goal.

Edelman became the team's postseason pass reception leader catching eight balls for 137 yards. He now has 76 career postseason receptions.

The AFC Championship game is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. on Jan. 22.

Other Notes

The End for Vince Wilfork?

Former Patriots and current Texans defensive tackle Vince Wilfork may have played his final game in the NFL. Prior to the last play of the game, Wilfork was substituted out of the game and received a standing ovation from the crowd he played in front of for 11 seasons. After the game, the 13-year veteran appeared to be leaning towards ending his carrer but nothing is for certain.

"I will take my time to think about it but I think I’ve played my last NFL football game. I will take the time and do my due diligence and sit back and see if I really want to retire," Wilfork said after the game. "We'll see. I don't know how long that will take.

Wilfork told the Houston Chronicle earlier this season that he is contemplating retirement. He left New England following the 2014 season and has spent two seasons in Houston.

Good Day For Rutgers

If you're a fan of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, chances are you had a smile on your face during some of the interceptions tonight. Logan Ryan, Devin McCourty, and Duron Harmon all attended the school and were responsible for the three Patriots interceptions.

"Big day for Rutgers. All had interceptions and we love to see that. We love to see that for anyone but you get three of them, that was big," Belichick said.

Ryan also picked up a sack, his second of the season.

Make it Six in a Row

For the sixth consecutive season, the Patriots will be present and accounted for at the AFC Championship game. The appearance breaks the previous record set by the Oakland Raiders between 1974-78.

Pretty cool, pretty cool. Let’s go win the AFC Championship Game. That would be very cool," Brady said after the game.

Belichick was more apathetic when asked about the record.

"I don’t really care about the other five years right now, or however many years it’s been. The only thing that matters is this year, this team, and what we have an opportunity to do, what we need to do to move on to play again. We can talk about all of that other stuff some other time," Belichick said.

Image Credit: Dan Libon