How many times will it take before we learn to stop writing off the New England Patriots no matter what situation they are put in?
Facing the 2-0 Houston Texans on a short week with a third string quarterback?
No problem.
Jacoby Brissett made his first NFL start on just four days notice after Jimmy Garoppolo went down injured against Miami and many predicted that JJ Watt and company would take him to task, after all, he looked a bit lost replacing Garoppolo against the Dolphins.
Well, that didn’t happen. The Patriots, aided by their home field advantage in the short week, played an almost faultless game and won 27-0.
Here are my takeaways from the game:
Belichick and McDaniels created perfect plan
The Patriots aren’t stupid, that’s for sure! Head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels realised that they probably couldn’t put everything on the arm of Brissett, so they planned for him to use his legs instead. He threw just 9 times for 109 yards, but rushed seven times on designed runs, one of which went for a touchdown. It was a coaching masterclass by New England.
Special teams mistakes prove costly
People often disregard special teams but they were a huge factor in this game. The Texans fumbled two kick-offs deep in their own territory and the Pats took full advantage, scoring on both resulting drives. Playing New England is tough enough without making such coslty mistakes.
Osweiler struggles again
For the third straight week, Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler threw an interception. He simply didn’t account for Jamie Collins in coverage and threw the ball almost straight to him. Osweiler has the physical tools but he looked really confused by the Patriots scheme. He still looks like he has a lot of developing to do, which is understandable as he’s hardly played in the NFL but he’s being paid a LOT of money to be learning on the job
The Patriots running a college offence was fun to watch
The Patriots offence was so fun to watch during this game. They knew with the third string QB in and facing a very good that they would need to get creative and they did just that. They ran end arounds, counter options and fly sweeps, often looking more like a college team than an NFL team. It was great to watch.
Texans still have the weapons to be dangerous
Saying this after a shutout loss may seem a bit odd but Houston shouldn’t worry too much about their offence as long as Osweiler can cut out the mental errors.
DeAndre Hopkins showed again that he’s one of the best receivers in the game with a few amazing catches on the sidelines, we’ve seen Will Fuller use his speed to great effect in the first two weeks and Lamar Miller looks comfortable in his role as the feature back.
Houston are still, in my eyes, the favourites to win the AFC South but they did blow a huge chance to get a win in New England.