Team Grades: Patriots Look Like Their Old Selves In Win Over Texans

Rob Gronkowski returned to the field on Sunday night, a development that helped enable the New England Patriots get back to their winning ways.

After missing last week’s game with a bruised knee, tight end Rob Gronkowski looked like his usual self with a 45-yard reception in the first quarter, and he made an excellent leap for a touchdown pass in the second quarter.

The tight end scored his 10 touchdown of the season in the first half and finished with a team-high 87 receiving yards as the visitors cruised to a 27-6 victory over the Houston Texans.

The Patriots can clinch a first-round playoff bye this weekend if they win their home matchup with the Titans and if the Broncos lose at Pittsburgh. But the team ran just about as much as they threw. “He’s a huge influence on what we do offensively”, said the Patriots quarterback. He was sacked five times and left the game in the fourth quarter with another apparent concussion.

“I think in particular the White play it goes back to the whole issue of the angle of the camera and was his heel actually on the white or was his toe on the ground and his heel above the white, how close it was”, Belichick said on Monday’s conference call.

“Couldn’t move the ball on offense at all”, Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. The Texans were trying to secure a spot while on the visitor’s sideline, New England was looking to regain the AFC’s number one seed. “Thought the defense did some good things, but not enough, and special teams, we didn’t play very well”.

“I feel good and it was great to be back out there”, Gronkowski told reporters.

The Texans’ pass defense is already one of the best in the National Football League this season, giving up the third-fewest passing yards a game at 218.3 yards per contest. “Now we need to work on controlling next Sunday”.

After the Patriots produced just a 49-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal in the third quarter, New England stretched their lead to three touchdowns early in the fourth following yet another sack of Hoyer. On defense New England saw backup linebacker Jonathan Freeny-starting in place of injured Dont’a Hightower-leave with a hand injury early in the first quarter, defensive tackle Dominique Easley leave with a left thigh injury, and Devin McCourty left with an ankle injury. The star defensive end wore a cast that enclosed his fingers in a club-like ball. Wide receiver Keshawn Martin was acquired by the Patriots in a September 17 trade with the Texans.

This isn’t to say Brady was in flawless late January/early February form against the, who fielded a roster of enough old Patriots coaches and players to give the quarterback a this-is-your-life moment he seemed to enjoy – at least when he wasn’t getting smacked around late (by ) and on time (by ).

“It poses some problems, but it wasn’t that bad”, Watt said. Coupled with losses by the Bengals and Broncos, it also pushed the Patriots back to the top of the AFC standings. Ryan was one of the players matched up on DeAndre Hopkins and he completely shut him down, with Hopkins finishing the night with just three catches for 52 yards and was more or less a non-factor.