With regular season football upon us once again, we’re here to look ahead at the next sixteen weeks of New England Patriots football. This week’s kickoff game sees the Patriots face off against the Houston Texans at home in Foxboro, MA. The kickoff game is a rematch of last year’s week three game, where the Texans fell to the Patriots in a down-to-the-wire game, 36-33. This time around, the New England Patriots week one opponents will look a little different. While the team matchup remains the same, the individual players are varied, prepared, and ready for the challenge on either side of the ball.
New England Patriots Week One Preview: Must Contain Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans Defense
Houston’s Returning Offense Wants Another Shot
Deshaun Watson returns after a disastrous midseason ACL tear – just one of many injuries which derailed Houston’s season. Watson’s performance against the Patriots last year was admirable. The young, mobile quarterback threw for 301 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. On top of that, he ran eight times for 41 yards. A vaunted Patriots defense, missing star defensive playmaker Dont’a Hightower, saw difficulty containing Watson, Lamar Miller, and DeAndre Hopkins. All of these guys are coming back to Gillette Stadium with one goal in mind: Topple the reigning AFC Champions.
And for Watson, that’s not a task too far out of reach. During a discussion on Good Morning Football, Nate Burleson revisited Watson’s comments from 2017, saying Watson was “chasing the GOAT [Tom Brady].” Burleson went on to say that right now, the Patriots “are bleeding” and seem vulnerable. Burleson believes this gives Watson and his teammates “confidence” and “inspiration.”
On the opposite side of that argument, Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager argued that the Texans “haven’t done a thing to earn our respect yet.” Schrager went on, saying “Individually these guys are all stars, [but] the Texans have never been able to stop the Patriots.”
What’s Changed?
On the defensive side, the Texans have seen a revival. Time will tell if their new defense will actually succeed, but on paper, they have all the tools they need. Last year Houston’s line was one of the worst in the league, allowing 54 sacks. However, this year’s offensive line this features four new starters and will look to improve on that performance.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has praised Houston’s front seven, saying “They’re among the very best in the league.” Belichick made it clear that their defensive depth is filled with good – if not excellent – players.
Also returning from injury this year is star defensive end J.J. Watt, who joins Whitney Mercilus, Jadeveon Clowney, and Texans newcomer Duke Ejiofor. Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham stand out in the team’s linebacker lineup. Make no mistake: Up front, the Texans defense is as stout as ever, and they’ve got an eye on 41-year-old Brady. A tough defensive line will make things hard on New England, who will likely rely on their refreshed running backs to move up and down the field. However, New England’s depth and variety of skill sets at the position could tire out Houston’s front line.
However, New England’s dwindling options at wide receiver are aided by Houston’s questionable corner and safety depth. The team signed Tyrann Mathieu in the offseason, who has shown to be a dynamic player in his career when not hampered by injury.
With limited options on the outside, the Texans are in for a tough time trying to match Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan – Brady’s presumed first and second receiving options for at least the first four weeks of the 2018 season.
Patriots Defense Looks to Set the Edge and Contain Watson
Even coming off of an ACL tear like Watson’s, it’s doubtful that his injury will halt the young quarterback’s mobility. Therefore, containing Watson will be near the top of New England’s list of concerns.
To that end, New England’s own defense has seen some changes as well. Former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has moved on to serve as head coach of the Detroit Lions. Patricia’s “bend don’t break” defensive style has been replaced by Brian Flores‘ more “aggressive” play calling. Flores has not officially taken over the defensive coordinator job in Patricia’s absence, but he will serve as the team’s de facto defensive leader this year.
The Tennessee Titans claimed cornerback Malcolm Butler in free agency, with Stephon Gilmore stepping up in his absence. The Patriots cornerback and safety depth have seen some rejuvenation this off-season. Additionally, Hightower rejoins the team to lead a very capable group of linebackers. Defensive ends Trey Flowers and Adrian Clayborn will help lead the effort to restrict Watson’s mobility in the pocket.
As we saw last year, Watson’s “happy feet” are just as much of a problem as they are a benefit. Some of his scrambles fell short, costing the Texans valuable movement on third downs, while others went long.
The Patriots had trouble corralling Deshaun Watson last year. Here’s the first drill their D-linemen ran today, with CB Keion Crossen playing the role of Watson. pic.twitter.com/gS1Unj0ZjV
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) September 4, 2018
During practice sessions this week, the Patriots utilized rookie cornerback Keion Crossen to simulate Watson’s mobility. The defensive line has apparently made great efforts to train for quick-footed quarterbacks, something they faced during week three of the preseason against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.
On containing Watson, Patriots defensive line coach Brendan Daly told reporters “Getting this guy on the ground is one of the more difficult things out there. […] You can’t let him have free access around the perimeter obviously. But even when you do a good job there, he’s so elusive in the pocket in terms of making people miss, we had a major issue with that in our game last year and people continued to have an issue with that through last year and into the preseason this year. He’s very elusive.”
Last Word on New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans
While the Houston Texans may be looking for a rematch, the New England Patriots are simply looking to win. Houston may come prepared, but Belichick, Brady, and the rest of the Patriots will come more prepared – unwilling to sacrifice their 6-0 record against the Texans when playing at Gillette. The Patriots have won eight of the last nine home openers, and this Sunday they’ll look to improve that record to nine of 10.
Prediction: Patriots win, 34-27.
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