Yates is expected to be prepared as the Houston Texans ‘ starting quarterback this week, since Hoyer’s latest concussion marked his second in the past month.
Advertisement
The 11-2 Patriots moved ahead of Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC East. Meanwhile, the 6-7 Texans are battling to keep the top spot in the AFC South.
New England avoided its first three-game losing streak since 2002 thanks, at least in part, to the return of All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Pats subsequently finished the red-zone opportunity with a two-yard score from Keshawn Martin, who started in his return to Houston. That’s good news considering this defense is playing well right now and McCourty’s impact and experience back in the secondary has certainly been one of the big reasons why they’ve been so strong this season. Brady, sacked three times, completed 22 of 30 passes for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns. DeAndre Hopkins had a relatively quiet night except for a 40 yard catch in the second half.
The game stalled out at that point, with the offenses trading five consecutive punts.
Coach Bill O’Brien says he’s in the concussion protocol and that he’s also dealing with a strained neck and a wrist problem after being sacked five times in a 27-6 loss to New England. The urgency was, I just wanted to be back out there with my teammates. The Texans are tied for the division lead with the Indianapolis Colts at 6-6, and a win over New England would greatly enhance their playoff chances. Hoyer was injured on the play and left the game.
Along the Patriots offensive line, it seemed as though there were constantly multiple sets of eyes on the man who came into the week leading the National Football League in sacks with 13.5.
J.J. Watt wasn’t much of a factor last night and it’s fair to assume he will struggle the rest of the season.
It was a true team effort for the Patriots on Sunday night, with players stepping up all over the field on both sides of the ball.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft speaks with his former employee, Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien. “Now we need to work on controlling next Sunday”.
“We have to play like this, we have to play better than this moving forward, OK?”
“An all time great player”. Running back LeGarrette Blount, linebacker Jonathan Freeny, safety Devin McCourty and defensive tackle Dominique Easley all left the game and the severity of their injuries is unknown, although Easley was riding a stationary bike and Freeny was spotted with a cast on his right hand. The next thing you know, I see the ball going flying up in the air coming to me.
Advertisement
The quarterback was fairly consistent throughout – averaging 2.16 seconds from snap-to-throw in the first half and 1.99 seconds in the second half.
