The Patriots’ season was on life support heading into the contest against the struggling Texans. The franchise was on a two-game losing streak and could not afford to drop a game to a team playing without their starting quarterback and one of the worst in the conference. The game turned out to be the ultimate trap game because of all the emotion and attention given to Tom Brady’s return the previous week.
The Patriots started the game very flat in energy and body language. The Texans played an aggressive first half with Davis Mills taking shots down the field and going 3 for 3 on 4th down attempts. In the third quarter, the Texans led the game 22-9 when Coach David Culley and his staff made a momentum-turning decision of allowing their punter to do a fake fake punt. Yes, you read that right. Cameron Johnston proceeded to shank the punt off his teammate and out of bounds. The Texans did not score a point for the rest of the game, and the Patriots proceeded to score 16 unanswered points to escape H-Town with the W. Here are the five biggest takeaways from a wild Sunday afternoon game.
1. Mac Jones delivers again-After watching his defense give up a touchdown on the Texans’ opening drive, Jones gave an immediate response by marching the team 10 plays and 60 yards down the field for a touchdown. It was the first time the Patriots had scored any points from their opening drive this season. Jones kept the Patriots in the game until his team woke up, and his lone mistake in the game was an interception at the start of the third quarter. He proceeded to torch the Texans’ defense in the fourth quarter and rally his team to the comeback victory. He completed 23 of 30 passes, 231 yards, and a big touchdown. There are still too many drives ending in field goals but Jones has been proficient through 5 weeks in spraying balls to his receivers.
2. Hunter Henry is starting to sparkle-every young quarterback needs a tight end in the middle of the field that is their safety blanket. Hunter Henry appears to be Mac Jones’ safety blanket, and down the stretch, he went to number 85 time after time. Henry was able to get open on first downs and make big plays in the passing game. He also caught the critical 13-yard touchdown to tie the game.
3. Matt Judon is a one-man wrecking crew-Judon is already putting his name in the hat as Defensive Player of the Year with his stellar season with the Patriots. He is the only Patriot defender in the front seven who is consistently disrupting the quarterback. In this game, he was able to disrupt Davis Mills and sack the quarterback two times. In 5 games this season, he has made 20 total tackles, and 6.5 sacks solidified his status as an Elite Pro Bowl Linebacker.
4. The defense was terrible for two and a half quarters- after Davis Mills was intercepted four times in Week 4 in Buffalo, the matchup on paper favored the Patriots’ defense. However, Mills came out and led his team to a mammoth 18 play, 10 minute and 8-second drive for a touchdown. On the second touchdown, Mills sprinted right of the pocket and lobbed a pass to Chris Moore. In the play, JC Jackson badly mistimed his jump for the ball. Then, Devon McCourty was out of position to make the tackle. It led to a 67-yard touchdown and put the team in a big hole early that they eventually emerged.
5. Running Back position is a serious concern- the team had a good game statistically with 126 yards on the ground. The Patriots’ lead rusher Damien Harris had 58 yards on 14 carries but fumbled for the second time in the red zone this season when his team was poised to score a touchdown. Sadly, things got worse when he left the game due to an injury. It now leaves Rhamondre Stevenson, J.J. Taylor, and Brandon Bolden as the healthy running back group. Stevenson and Taylor also had issues fumbling earlier this season. Can Bill Belichick rely on these two young players if Harris is unable to play? In training camp, running back was an area that the team had depth, and now it is an area of weakness. The decision to trade Sony Michel now looms large.
Despite all the adversity, the team weathered the storm and escaped Houston with a victory. A win is a win after all, and the Patriots now face another big challenge this Sunday at home against America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys.
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