Patriots-Texans Game Review: Pats Offensive Struggles Again in Loss
Patriots-Texans Game Review: Pats Offensive Struggles Again in Loss
New England’s offensive struggles continue in Sunday night loss to Houston
The New England Patriots struggled mightily in their 28-22 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday night. The loss, just New England’s second of the year, moves the defending Super Bowl champions into second place in the AFC, but the outlook for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s team moving forward remains in doubt.
The Patriot’s defense and special teams units looked nothing like the juggernauts they’ve been throughout the season (although a widespread case of the flu may be somewhat to blame). And New England’s incredibly underwhelming offense struggled once again this week against a 27th ranked Houston defense.
New England’s offensive struggles have been well documented all season. The wide receiving corps, which once boasted Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown, has been reduced to a shell of what it has been in recent years. The departure of Rob Gronkowski following the previous Super Bowl has left New England without their big downfield target and red zone threat. Brown and Gordon could have filled those roles, but one now catches passes from Russel Wilson and the other is out of the league. Julian Edelman is the primary receiving target, and the reigning Super Bowl MVP has been serviceable in that role. But the remaining cast has been far from stellar. The addition of Mohamed Sanu Sr. has made little impact on the Pats’ passing game. Rookies N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers have been playing like rookies, and clearly are still adjusting to the league. And fifth-year player Phillip Dorsett II has had just two games with 50 or more receiving yards this season.
The result has been a Patriots offense that lacks explosiveness and has scored 20 or fewer points four times this season. The offensive weaknesses have been increasingly emphasized over the past four weeks, where New England is averaging just 18 points per game and have gone 2-2.
Sunday night’s matchup in a dome against a defense ranked in the bottom quarter of the league could have been an opportunity for Tom Brady’s offense to get out of its funk, but it proved to be anything but that. Brady was under constant pressure thanks to aggressive schemes drawn up by Houston defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. The Texans sacked Brady three times and managed to hit the quarterback twelve times. When Brady finally did have time in the pocket his receivers rarely managed to get open.
New England’s best drive of the game came on their very first possession. They managed to gain 69 yards on 14 plays and get all the way down to the Houston five-yard line before settling for a field goal. It was a drive that featured six carries by running back Sony Michel. New England seemingly abandoned the Michel running game after this possession, however, as he finished the game with just ten carries for 45 yards.
Tom Brady would finish the night completing 24 of his 47 attempts for 326 yards and an interception, although much of that production came in the closing minutes of the game after the Texans had already built up an insurmountable lead.
Julian Edelman had a solid outing reeling in six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown, but the rest of the receiving group continued to underperform on Sunday night. New England’s second-leading receiver was actually running back James White, who caught eight passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Dorsett and Sanu combined for just 29 yards on five receptions, while Jakobie Meyers had 46 yards on three grabs. On N’Keal Harry’s only target of the night, he was outworked by Houston’s Bradley Roby, who jumped the route, intercepted the pass, and returned the ball inside the Patriots’ ten-yard line. Tom Brady was critical of his receivers’ play on the sidelines early in the second quarter.
Credit for Sunday night’s result must also be given to the Texans. Houston played a great game on both sides of the ball, forced mistakes by the Patriots, and clearly looked to be the superior team.
Deshaun Watson had an MVP-like performance against an elite defense, finishing with three passing touchdowns and 234 yards on 18/25 passing attempts. He looked poised and comfortable in the pocket and managed to avoid making mistakes -- a feat that is not easy against this season’s New England defense. At one point in the third quarter, Watson had completed nearly identical 35-yard touchdown passes on back-to-back plays. The first toss to Will Fuller V was overturned upon review, but Watson would find Kenny Stills on the very next play for a touchdown catch that would stand.
New England defenses are well-known for their ability to take away their opponent’s top option, but DeAndre Hopkins avoided being shut down. He beat Stephon Gillmore on the same slant route on three different occasions, and finished the game with 64 receiving yards on five receptions. The highlight of the night came on a perfectly designed Hopkins-Watson option play, which resulted in a Deshaun Watson touchdown catch off a DeAndre Hopkins pass. The play was apparently developed by Watson, Hopkins and running back Duke Johnson during the team’s bye week.
By the time the final whistle blew the Texans had racked up as many passing touchdowns -- four -- as the Patriots had given up all season entering the contest. Deshaun Watson and company were truly firing on all cylinders.
The Texans improved to 8-4 with Sunday’s victory. They will host the Denver Broncos next week and attempt to hang on to their one-game lead in the AFC South.
The Patriots, meanwhile, must prepare to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday. It is a big matchup for the Chiefs, who also currently sit at 8-4. With the 9-3 Buffalo Bills still remaining on New England’s schedule, next week’s Patriots-Chiefs battle could have major playoff implications.
The game will kick off at 4:25 ET in Foxborough.
-By: Jonny Hart
Writer/ Interviewer