The New England Patriots opened up their 2018 campaign with a 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans. The game was pretty much chalk for New England: Tom Brady to Gronk was still dominant as ever, the running backs were heavily involved in the offense and the defense made fans sweat it out late. Here are five takeaways from the game. 1. Jeremy Hill Injury Let’s start with the bad, because the win came at a cost. On a play midway through the third quarter, following a Gronkowski fumble on a deep pass from Brady, Hill took a shot to the side of his knee from teammate James Develin. Hill’s right knee buckled inward, causing him to exit the game for good. This injury will be monitored early in the week and we should get more information on Monday, but it does not look good for Hill initially. It is potentially a tough break for Hill, who is on a one-year deal and earned a roster spot this summer after a solid preseason. He flashed in limited action on Sunday, blocking a punt and totaling 25 yards on four carries.<doc-sep>Well, that was unfortunate. Despite an encouraging performance from the Texans’ defense (other than from a certain former first round pick at cornerback, of course), Houston’s offense struggled for most of the game and ultimately could not keep up with Tom Brady and the Patriots machine. Deshaun Watson was erratic. The offensive line couldn’t pass protect whatsoever. The offensive unit overall just seemed very out of sync until very late in the contest. Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue both had nice days on the ground, but if the Texans really wanted to challenge the Pats in Foxborough, they were going to need a strong passing game performance, and they just didn’t get it. It remains to be seen just how much reshuffling the offensive line mid-game due to Seantrel Henderson’s ankle injury affected the offense (not to mention both Keke Coutee and Will Fuller missing this game because of their own respective injuries), but still...you would hope that a Deshaun Watson-led Texans offense would produce more than 20 points in four quarters. Luckily for Houston, it’s only the first week of the season. They have time to regroup, adjust, and get back to playing winning football; the only question is just how long that adjustment is going to take. Hopefully that time period is less than seven days, because the Texans have a crucial divisional matchup next Sunday in Nashville. Houston put up a 50-Burger on the Titans last season with Watson under center, so it would be nice if a repeat of that performance is in our future.<doc-sep>The New England Patriots (0-0) open up their 2018 campaign against the Houston Texans (0-0) in Week 1. It says here… Patriots 27, Texans 24 Last year’s 36-33 shootout in Week 3 was one of the best games of the 2017 NFL season. While these two teams are familiar with one another and know how to prepare for each other, the Patriots are still 9-1 against Houston all-time, including playoffs. Expect more of the same this Sunday, despite another close game. Yes, the Pats are currently in shambles at the wide receiver position, but Tom Brady should have enough to get by in this one. Deshaun Watson could be a difficult first test for the Patriots defense, but the unit has shown enough this preseason to make fans feel better than they did a year ago. JJ Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and friends present a scary matchup for the offensive line right off the bat, but no quarterback is better at getting the ball out quick than TB12. This will be a close game that doesn’t ever feel as close as the final score would suggest. Pats move to 1-0. Stats Tom Brady — 320 yards, two touchdowns Rob Gronkowski — seven catches, 90 receiving yards Geneo Grissom — one sack<doc-sep>
The New England Patriots fought a tough game against the Houston Texans to secure their first victory of the season: the defending AFC champions won 27-20 behind a mostly efficient offense and at times dominant defense. While there were plenty of errors in all three phases of the game, the Patriots move to 1-0 with the following three players particularly standing out: WR Phillip Dorsett With Julian Edelman out for the first four weeks, the Patriots’ depth wide receivers were needed to pick up the slack. Phillip Dorsett did just that against the Texans and was New England’s number one wideout in terms of targets and receptions: the former first-round draft pick caught all seven of his targets for 66 yards and his first touchdown since joining the team last year. An encouraging performance. DE Trey Flowers The Patriots’ pass rush and front seven defense was inconsistent last season but shined today against a dangerous dual-threat quarterback in Deshaun Watson. Overall, New England registered three sacks with 1.5 of which coming from Trey Flowers. After a quiet training camp, the veteran showed why he is the team’s number one edge defender and pass rusher: Flowers was active all day long and set the tone for the defensive front seven. TE Rob Gronkowski Other than his lost fumble on a long reception down the seam, Gronkowski had an outstanding game as a pass catcher and blocker. Despite drawing constant double-team coverage, the NFL’s best tight end – who even played one defensive snap on the final Hail Mary of the game – finished with seven receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. Gronkowski was his usual productive self and a consistent big-play threat. With all that in mind, who is your choice for this week’s game ball?