Official Texans vs. Patriots Game Thread, 12/1/2019

[Arky]

Texans drive down and use a nice gimmick to get into the end zone. Hop "passes" to Watson for the 6-yard rushing TD.

Texans 28, Pats 9

9:53 left in the game.

[Arky]

Brady hits White for an 11-yard TD pass.

Pats going for two.....

Two point try is no good....

Texans 28, Pats 15

3:42 left in the game.

[Arky]

Brady hits Edelman for a 20-yard TD.

Texans 28, Pats 22

50 seconds left in the game.

Onsides kick on the way.....

[Arky]

Nervy onside kick goes out of bounds. Texans ball.

Texans kneel it.

Final score:

Texans 28, Pats 22

Whew, just had to make it exciting at the end there....

[HPF Bob]

Can the Texans hold on for another 50 seconds?

[HPF Bob]

Congrats, Texans. Never thought you could take 2-of-3 through the Indy, Baltimore,New England gauntlet.

Now it's Denver, Tennessee twice and Tampa Bay.

[chuck]

I can now tell my kid to tell my grandkids that I once saw the Texans give the Patriots a beat down on national television. What a world.

These Titans games were obviously looked at as sort of afterthoughts not all that long ago, but they are now critical. I like that the games are concentrated - the team that plays better when it counts will win the division.

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by chuck

These Titans games were obviously looked at as sort of afterthoughts not all that long ago, but they are now critical. I like that the games are concentrated - the team that plays better when it counts will win the division.

We would probably have to lose both Titans games to lose the tiebreaker to Tennessee within the division.

BTW, Chuck, I'll be in PC on the 10th, 11th and 12th.

[barrett]

In a confidence pool this week I just said screw it and put max confidence on the Texans. Good week to be a homer.

And what did Josh Gordon do behind closed doors to get run out of NE. Without him they are worthless on the outside and have nobody on the roster who can threaten 20 yards downfield. They are going to have to win every playoff game 17-9. They might finally be done.

[Keith]

Such an oddly wonderful game. The Patriots, offensively, are a limited team without Gronkowski and without a meaningful WR aside from Edelman. Crennel finally adjusted his scheme to minimize Brady's outlets to the RBs. With Gronk around, Brady had that other premium outlet. Now, the defense can double Edelman, and Brady is left screaming at his other inferior receivers to be something they're incapable of being. How different this season might have been for the Patriots had either someone like Antonio Brown or Josh Gordon been able to stick around.

Defensively, the Patriots are very good. So it was very satisfying to see Watson maneuver the offense against them. Seems like a long time coming this season, but he and the Texans utilized Duke Johnson quite appropriately. I also think, until that deep TD pass that was ultimately dropped by Fuller, the Texans could have used Fuller and Stills to pressure the Pats D deep more often and stretch them vertically. Having Fuller (not to mention Stills) healthy alongside Hopkins makes this such a difficult offense to defend once Watson quits holding the ball too long. The Texans OL did not have a very good game today, but everything else worked regardless because of these things.

Defensively, the piecemeal secondary shined. It helps to look better when facing this subpar Pats WR corps, but the Texans have accumulated some intriguing parts which even tonight still haven't really been together very long or altogether healthy. But my fancy has been captured.

And while the front seven is still a bit soft in the middle against a better running offense, that they have found a useful cog from the Clowney trade in Jacob Martin is encouraging. Martin was just a 6th round pick a year ago. He has some pass rushing ability with more upside to go. All of the Texans LBs have their individual weaknesses, but the unit is stronger as a whole.

Paired with news that Watt may be recovering quickly enough for a playoff return, the defense may be improving at just the right time. The season could still be shaping up for road game in January at either New England or a rematch in Baltimore, but a team led by Watson with a solidifying defense may have a chance at a surprise.