Following the Patriots’ 27-6 win over the Texans on Sunday night, some believed Tom Brady gave JJ Watt the cold shoulder. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien and starting quarterback Brian Hoyer could not get anything going offensively in the second half against their former employers, turning what was a tight contest into a blowout by the closing stages of the fourth quarter.
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With the Texans pinned deep in their own territory, Sheard dropped Hoyer and forced a fumble that defensive tackle Malcom Brown recovered at the Texans 7.
The cushion was comfortable thanks to the New England defense, which harassed Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer relentlessly while snapping a two-game skid.
Tom Brady has had a lot of success with Dick LeBeau defenses in the past. The Patriots finished with six sacks on the night and held Houston to just 189 net yards and seven first downs in the dominating performance.
The Patriots (11-2) regained possession of the top spot in the AFC standings after losses earlier Sunday by the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos.
The Patriots received a boost from the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who bruised a bone and sprained his right knee against Denver.
New England concludes with games against Tennessee and Miami, both of which should be every bit as winnable as this game was. A touchdown pass was negated by an illegal formation penalty when wide receiver Keshawn Martin covered up eligible tackle Cameron Fleming, but two plays later Martin made a great move in the end zone to get free for a touchdown reception. Authorities said they received five more similar calls from witnesses alarmed by what they saw. “We’ve done a good job in our division thus far being 4-0 and we’ll have a chance the last two weeks of the year to finish strong after this Titans game”. The Texans are left, still, in a first-place tie in the AFC South – that division will likely be determined next Sunday when the Texans play the Colts – but the reality is that whoever emerges from that game could merely be set up to be playoff cannon fodder for the Patriots in a few more weeks.
The quarterback completed less than 60 percent of his passes in three straight games for the first time since 2006 and the team lost back-to-back games for the first time since early 2012.
Injuries were a killer for the Patriots yesterday, despite the win. Defensive lineman Domonique Easley was placed on injured reserve Tuesday after he hurt his thigh in the second half against the Texans. “The organization, myself, just rehabbing really hard and everything checked out, everything felt good, so I was good to go”.
“Offensive football is always trust and anticipation, and there’s nobody that I trust more than Gronk”, Brady said. “That’s what we need”.
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And although reigning Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt reportedly has a broken hand, he plans to play through it against New England. And the Patriots may never be in this type of position again. Was the cast he was wearing hampering him?
