The Houston Texans have been given little to no chance to beat the New England Patriots when they travel to Foxboro, MA this Saturday. The odds makers have put this game as one of the highest point spreads in 18 years with the Patriots giving sixteen points. However, there’s one thing that Houston is doing much better now; as compared to when these two teams met back in Week 3 when New England won 27-0.
The defense is attacking quarterbacks like never before, and Tom Brady better have a plan for when Jadeveon Clowney and company turn his offensive linemen into turnstiles and find their way into his backfield.
The Texans defense finished the season as the top-rated squad in the NFL. However, their pressure on quarterbacks has been hitting at a high level over the last month of the season. After, averaging only one sack per game to start December, the Texans defense has racked up 10 sacks in their last three games.
The defensive corp is doing this even without the face of the Texans franchise, J.J. Watt. Instead, it’s been Clowney, Brian Cushing, and Vince Wolfork as the leaders to this swarm with former Patriots coaches and players coaching this group up as they head into the Divisional Round matchup.
“They have a damn good defense,” Brady said, before pointing out members of the Bill O’Brien-led coaching staff with Patriots ties, a group including defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, linebackers coach Mike Vrabel and special-teams coordinator Larry Izzo.
“There is nothing easy about this game for our offense. We’re going to have to go grind it out. We have to go get our mind right, and we will. We had a good week of practice last week, and we need to carry it over into today — and all the way through Saturday night.” (ESPN)
The offense, while better last week in the Texans Wild Card win vs the Raiders, will not be able to keep up with the Patriots if Brady is able to lead them to score after score. That means, the Texans front-seven will have to open the game with blitzes on the Patriots. They were able to do this against Oakland which made Raiders quarterback Connor Cook have one of the worst games a quarterback could have in the post season.
“The defense did a phenomenal job,” veteran Texans left tackle Duane Brown said after the game. “And that’s what we have come to expect from them all year. Clowney, he’s been doing what he’s been doing all year: being disruptive, being a game-wrecker.” (USA Today)
Clowney has been great this season. However, people have been waiting for that memorial game-changing moment from the former first overall pick; like his hit against Michigan in the Outback Bowl when he was a member of South Carolina. Maybe this Saturday when the world is watching, and expecting an New England blowout, Clowney will have a career defining moment on a sack on Brady that results in the biggest upset in Divisional Round history.
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