McDaniels Brothers Face Off as Patriots, Texans Prepare for High-Stakes Playoff Clash
FOXBOROUGH, MA - It’s not quite Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh on the Super Bowl stage, but make no mistake-Saturday’s divisional-round showdown between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans has a family rivalry written all over it. For Josh and Ben McDaniels, this one hits home.
Josh, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, is in his first season back in Foxborough (for the third time, no less) and has helped engineer a remarkable turnaround, highlighted by the rise of rookie quarterback Drake Maye. On the other sideline, Ben McDaniels serves as the Texans’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. Come Saturday, the brothers will be on opposite ends of a playoff battle with everything on the line.
“Obviously these are interesting situations when you find yourself competing with your sibling,” Josh said earlier this week. “A little more interesting for my parents than anybody else.”
It’s a matchup that’s more than just a sidebar. Both McDaniels brothers are deeply embedded in their teams’ offensive identities.
And while the sibling storyline adds a personal twist, don’t expect either to pull punches. This is playoff football, and the stakes are too high for anything less than full throttle.
“He’s trying to beat us,” Josh said of his younger brother. “Just like we’re trying to beat him.”
That competitive fire isn’t new. The McDaniels brothers were raised in a football household under the watchful eye of their father, Thom McDaniels-one of the most successful high school coaches in Ohio history. From backyard games to NFL sidelines, the spirit of competition has always been part of their DNA.
“We compete in almost anything we do, honestly, which is kind of fun,” Josh added. “This will be no different.”
Their coaching paths have been intertwined before. Ben once worked under Josh in Denver when Josh was the Broncos’ head coach, serving as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. Since then, their careers have taken different routes-Josh bouncing between New England and Las Vegas, Ben carving out a path through the college ranks before landing in Houston in 2021.
Now, for the first time, their teams will meet in the postseason. The brothers have faced off three times before, but this is the first time with a trip to the AFC Championship on the line. And while Josh is quick to point out that he’s not competing against his brother, the magnitude of the moment isn’t lost on anyone in the building.
“We’re competing against the Texans,” Josh said. “It’s gonna be a helluva game and it’s going to be an enormous challenge.”
Inside the Patriots’ quarterback room, the family subplot has added a little extra juice to the week. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye-himself the youngest of four boys from a highly athletic family-has embraced the sibling rivalry vibe, especially when it comes to poking fun at his OC.
“There’s some friendly banter going on between Drake and Josh,” said quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant. “Drake’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.”
Maye, who’s surged into the MVP conversation with a late-season breakout, has thrived under Josh’s guidance. The chemistry between the two has been one of the catalysts for New England’s resurgence, and now they’ll need to be at their best to outduel a Texans defense that’s been opportunistic all year.
For the McDaniels family, Saturday will be a proud-and stressful-day. One son will move on.
One will go home. But for Josh and Ben, it’s just another chapter in a lifelong game of one-upmanship, this time played out on one of the NFL’s biggest stages.
And while the spotlight might shine a little brighter on the family connection this weekend, both brothers know exactly what’s at stake.
This isn’t just a story about two siblings squaring off. It’s about two of the league’s sharpest offensive minds trying to out-scheme each other with a trip to the AFC title game hanging in the balance.
Let the best McDaniels win.