The New England Patriots (3-0), behind third string quarterback Jacoby Brissett, defeated the (2-1) the Houston Texans 27-0 on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
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Brissett, who was the first Patriots rookie starting quarterback since Drew Bledsoe in 1993, set the tone early with a 27-yard first-quarter touchdown run, the longest by a Pats quarterback since Steve Grogan’s 41-yard score against the Jets in 1976. Quarterback Brock Osweiller threw one interception as two other fumbles, helped the Patriots take control. LeGarrette Blount scored from a yard out in the third quarter and broke a 41-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Their decisive 27-0 win over the Houston Texans-who looked about as bad as you can look-was proof that you cannot take the Patriots lightly.
The Patriots have proven before that they can win without Brady, but not many expected them to be undefeated during the first three games of the Brady-less era, especially after backup Garoppolo went down.
The Patriots, who improved to 3-0 without Brady, now have 10 days before the Buffalo game October 2 to bring in a free agent if one is needed.
The Texans will get a chance to rebound from their first shutout defeat since 2003 when they host the Tennessee Titans on October 2.
“We got smoked”, said Texans nose tackle Vince Wilfork, a longtime Patriot. And Belichick dictated against a team loaded with coaches who are familiar with the Belichick Way. The Patriots third-round draft pick’s thumb injury is “not deemed to be serious”, and New England is still weighing their options, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“I felt like we had a great week of preparation, very focused”, Osweiler on the loss.
This was unfamiliar for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
“Coach Belichick’s really good, ” Marshall said with a big smile.
All-world tight end Rob Gronkowski was back, but he barely played, as they eased him back into the mix with his hamstring injury.
“Yeah, I was just holding the ball for him”. But the Duke University product has never started an National Football League game, and has made only two game appearances with just seven pass attempts and three completions.
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With the club having no definitive answers at this time, one consideration for Bill Belichick and his personnel staff is to revisit the possibility of adding another quarterback to the roster.
