“The Patriots (11-2) moved ahead of the Denver Broncos & the Cincinnati Bengals within the race for the top AFC playoff seed and may clinch the AFC East with a win, or one loss or tie by the New York NY Jets”.
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Defensively, the Patriots kept Houston down all night, holding the Texans without a touchdown for the first time this season, and sacking Brian Hoyer five times before he exited with a possible concussion in the fourth quarter. “The DB played good defense, and Tom just put it up there where I had to go up and make a play”, he said.
As fun as those little tangents are, however, the real story surrounding the Patriots was the health of All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski, who finished with four receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown in his return from knee injury, had a highlight moment with 14 seconds left in the first half when he caught a smooth TD pass from Brady.
Discuss this critical victory for your boys in Battle Red, Texans fans. They were unable to do anything, and Brian Hoyer was sacked on his first dropback.
The Texans cut the lead to 7-3 on a 37-yard field goal by Nick Novak in the first quarter.
“I don’t know many guys besides the two guys I played with in Tampa (running back LeGarrette Blount and practice squad fullback Joey Iosefa), but all week, the guys put their arm around me”, Johnson said.
“There’s really not a whole lot to it, football is a game where things happen”, Watt said. He didn’t want to delve into that late Sunday night, saying he preferred only to talk about the game. The only time he got to Patriots signal-caller Tom Brady – when he drilled Brady in the back in the first quarter – he was flagged for roughing the passer.
After all, Texans coach Bill O’Brien made his National Football League bones in New England as the offensive coordinator before taking over as the head coach at Penn State and turning that job into the big chair in Houston. Gronkowski also caught a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter, set up by a brilliant play call in which New England started in a tight formation and then motioned three players out wide including Gronkowski.
With the Texans (6-7) pinned deep in their own territory, Sheard sacked Hoyer and forced a fumble that defensive tackle Malcom Brown recovered at the Houston 7. Hoyer needs to play just well enough to get his team on the scoreboard while keeping some of the pressure off the defense. “The icing on the cake is that win”. Brady converted two third downs with passes to Martin and Brandon LaFell, and Gronkowski capped the march with a 1-yard jump ball over Texans safety Quintin Demps. “Now we need to work on controlling next Sunday”.
Many had blind optimism that the Texans can come out at home, on national television, and hand the Patriots their third straight loss.
On the 45-yard play to Gronkowski where he had to throw back across and how did that play develop? Belichick said he didn’t notice much of a drop-off in Watt’s play.
It was the kind of day and night the New England Patriots’ rivals have come to know and expect and dread.
Blount was injured with just over eight minutes left in the second quarter. Aside from a 37-yard run by Jonathan Grimes early in the game, the Texans averaged just 2.3 yards per carry.
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But his impact was felt in more than just his receiving stats, as his role as a blocker helped a run game that was without yet another back, and helped take the pressure off a receiving corps that could include just about anyone from week to week.
