FOXBORO — It took three quarters, but the MVP candidate who led the Patriots back to the playoffs arrived in time Sunday to send them to the AFC Championship Game. Drake Maye hit a 32-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte in the fourth quarter for the final score in a 28-16 divisional-round win over the Texans, a highlight-reel play that may live forever in playoff franchise lore. Maye’s touchdown survived a replay review and all but ended Houston’s hopes of survival in a game that otherwise played out as a defensive slugfest. He finished 16-of-27 for 179 yards, three touchdowns and an interception against the AFC’s best defense, which sacked him five times. Maye fumbled on four of those five sacks, roadblocks the Texans threw on the Patriots’ path to victory. Pats coach Mike Vrabel credited his young quarterback for overcoming those mistakes to lead a winning effort. “We talk about not going in the blender, and I think it’s hard,” Vrabel said. “They put pressure on us, and we know we’ve got to take care of the ball. Drake knows that. But to be able to stay the course and to trust Kayshon and give him a great ball that was (for) him or nobody — and those guys have kind of done that all year — when we needed a play, they’ve been able to do that for us.” Maye admitted the snowy weather conditions affected his performance. It was an atypically inaccurate showing for Maye, who threw…
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