Tag: Deshaun Watson

What did Patriots QB Tom Brady tell Texans’ Deshaun Watson after the game?

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson got to hear from his role model, Tom Brady, after beating the New England Patriots in Week 13.

HOUSTON — Everyone is familiar with images from 2017 and 2018 when the Houston Texans fell short of defeating the New England Patriots. Quarterback Tom Brady would embrace youngster Deshaun Watson and tell him to keep fighting and to endeavor to persevere.

On Sunday night at NRG Stadium, Watson was the one who was the victor giving Brady the postgame greeting.

“As far as big wins, honestly, it’s pretty big,” said Watson, who completed 18-of-25 for 234 yards and three touchdowns. “Really just because it’s Brady. I was 0-2 against Brady. Who knows when he’s going to hang it up? That’s my role model, a guy that’s been doing it forever, over 20 years.”

As to what Brady told Watson after the game, the tenor was much the same as it was during the two losses up at Gillette Stadium.

“Just congratulated me, said keep going, stay healthy,” said Watson. “We’ll be in touch. We’re going to talk this offseason. Definitely a resource that he’s going to give an opportunity to check in and learn from him. I’m definitely going to take it.”

Watson is hoping he can lead the Texans to a Brady-esque ending to the season. The win propels Houston to 8-4 on the season, drops New England to 10-2, and gives the Baltimore Ravens the first spot in the AFC playoffs due to their own win against the Patriots.

Deshaun Watson, Texans borrow trick play from Bears

The Texans borrowed a page out of the Bears’ playbook with a trick play in their win over the Patriots on Sunday night.

Chicago Bears fans watching the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans game on Sunday Night Football may have seen something that looked familiar when the Texans scored their final touchdown of the night.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the Texans leading the Patriots 21-9, quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Houston offense entered the redzone. On first-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Watson handed the ball to running back Duke Johnson, who then gave it to receiver DeAndre Hopkins on an end around, then pitched the ball back to Watson as he dove over the pylon for the touchdown.

The score put Houston up 28-9 and essentially sealed the game while fans were going nuts over the fake play they just saw. But Bears fans have seen this done before.

Back in 2017 during quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s first NFL start against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears ran a nearly identical fake play as a 2-point conversion following Trubisky’s first career touchdown pass. Trubisky handed the ball to running back Jordan Howard, who gave it to tight end Zach Miller, then pitched it back to Trubisky for two points.

Flashing back to the present, Watson wasn’t shy about revealing where he learned the play from following their 28-22 win.

“We were watching a game, and actually, I think it was Chicago that did it,” Watson revealed. “We brought it up, me and A.J. McCarron were looking at it, was watching film one day and was like ‘actually, we probably can run that.’ So we kind of through it out there to (offensive coordinator) Tim Kelly and OB (head coach Bill O’Brien) and Hop (Hopkins) saw it and Hop of course said ‘yeah, let’s do it, let’s do it.’ He was excited so we kept working on it, kept working on it, and we knew it was the perfect time once we got inside the 5 (yard line), it was going to come. It was good.”

This isn’t the first time a team took a specific play from the Bears. The Philadelphia Eagles’ famous “Philly Special” play from Super Bowl 52 that saw tight end Trey Burton throw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles against the Patriots was originally run by the Bears in 2016. Both plays were orchestrated by former offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.

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Texans offensive grades from 28-22 win over the Patriots

There were plenty of gold stars to go around as the Houston Texans offense had their way with the New England Patriots 28-22 on Sunday night.

The Houston Texans, for the first in a decade, defeating the New England Patriots on Sunday night. Their offense blew away expectations, playing efficient football against one of the NFL’s best defenses — not in 2019, but ever.

The Texans gained 276 yards and four touchdowns on offense against the Patriots. They didn’t turn over the ball once, scored on all of their visits in the red zone (three) and converted six of their 11 first downs in the win. Let’s grade the individual groups who led to the upset victory.

Quarterback

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Deshaun Watson needed a perfect or near-perfect performance to beat the vaunted, No. 1 scoring Patriots defense. He hit the latter, playing a near-perfect game to ultimately get what he wanted most: a win over Tom Brady, who refers to as the GOAT.

Watson went 18 for 25 passing for 234 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His 140.7 passer rating is the most by any quarterback against the Patriots in 2019, surpassing Lamar Jackson’s performance in Week 9.

To top it off, Watson caught a touchdown pass via a trick option play with DeAndre Hopkins and Duke Johnson involved.

Watson did miss a few throws. He took three sacks, two of which were avoidable from his side. However, he faced one of the NFL’s historically great defenses and slew it via deep bombs, smart check-downs and decisiveness, whether running or standing still.

That’s called a passing grade and then some.

Grade: A+
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5 takeaways from Patriots’ alarming 28-22 loss against Texans

Here are five takeaways from the Patriots’ ugly loss to the Texans.

The New England Patriots didn’t look like one of the league’s top teams after losing 28-22 to the Houston Texans on Sunday night.

In all three facets of the game, the Patriots couldn’t figure out how to gain any momentum. Aside from the exciting six minutes to end the game, the Patriots offense was hard to watch. Bill O’Brien and the Texans were prepared for this matchup and they knew how to counter Josh McDaniels’ game plan.

The Patriots will host the Kansas City Chiefs next week and they’ll see the Buffalo Bills again in Week 16. Although this game doesn’t rule the Patriots out of Super Bowl contention, it definitely exposed some weaknesses.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

James White, Julian Edelman only offensive weapons

The Texans came into the game with a plan to double cover Julian Edelman and to put a cornerback on James White. This plan worked for the first three quarters of the game, and it left the Patriots with only nine points halfway through the fourth quarter.

Despite this intense coverage, both of Tom Brady’s top receivers walked out of the game with solid numbers. Edelman left the game with six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. White finished the game with 14 carries for 79 rushing yards – along with eight catches for 98 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Two of these touchdowns came in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter.

It’s apparent going forward that Brady will only have these two as reliable receivers, with Mohamed Sanu and Jakobi Meyers as the only decent options. Philip Dorsett and N’Keal Harry haven’t proved reliable, and it’s put a huge question mark on this offense.

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Texans slay the dragon, beat Patriots 28-22

On “Sunday Night Football,” the Houston Texans beat the New England Patriots in upset fashion, in turn finally slaying the dragon.

Bill O’Brien got it.

After numerous failed attempts, the Houston Texans coach beat his former boss and mentor, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. In front of a raging NRG Stadium, the Texans silenced the now 10-2 Patriots to go to 8-4 on the season, winning 28-22.

In 2019 tradition, the Texans started slow, leaving the field on a three-and-out in which no yards were gained. The Patriots responded with a 14-play drive, capped off by stalling out near the goal line to kick-in a 23-yard field goal.

Houston couldn’t find a hangover cure in their second drive, punting after a sack. However, Bradley Roby helped out their offensive woes, picking off Tom Brady on third-and-4 to set up the Texans in the red zone. Deshaun Watson and Co. responded with a 14-yard touchdown toss to tailback Duke Johnson.

The Patriots offense stalled after the interception. The Texans did not. After a Jake Bailey punt, Watson led a 13-play 88-yard drive spanning 6:52 minutes, scoring on a 13-yard pass to tight end Darren Fells.

Fells’ second-quarter touchdown gave him his seventh in the season, surpassing Owen Daniels (2012) and Joel Dreesen (2011) for most in a single-season in Texans franchise history.

The rest of the second quarter played out with three punts, New England doing so twice. After failing to connect with his pass-catchers, Brady was visibly upset on the sideline. That didn’t stop the Patriots’ deep-ball passing woes in the first.

At halftime, Watson and the Texans had thoroughly outdueled Brady and the Patriots. Watson going 11 for 14 passing for 122 yards, two touchdowns and a 142.6 passer rating; Brady going 7 for 19 passing for 82 yards, an interception and a 28.8 passer rating.

The Texans led 14-3 heading into the second half, where the Patriots received the ball.

New England did not come out of the gates firing in the second half. Instead, Bradley Roby did. He made up for a negated interception (holding) with a 10-yard sack to force a punt. The Texans returned the favor with a three-and-out of their own.

Following anemic offensive drives by both teams to start the second half, the Patriots began rolling with a 32-yard James White rush. Their momentum stopped there, with Johnathan Joseph breaking up a fourth-and-1 pass attempt to Mohamed Sanu.

While the Patriots starved, the Texans were gaining weight. Six plays after the turnover on downs, Watson found Kenny Stills deep for a 35-yard touchdown reception. The score followed a touchdown reversed due to a Will Fuller drop.

Naturally, Watson celebrated by playing an air guitar.

Brady wouldn’t go down, of course. The Patriots mustered up a 12-play, 75-yard drive spanning 5:30 minutes, scoring on a 12-yard toss to White. They marched down the field despite facing third-and-17 and first-and-30 on consecutive downs.

Forbath missed an extra point for the Patriots, giving Houston a 12-point lead heading into the final 15 minutes of play.

To begin their efforts of staving off New England, the Texans spent 5:18 minutes to hit nine plays for 75 yards. The touchdown to get their lead to 28-9 was interesting, to say the least.

On first-and-goal, did a handoff to Duke Johnson, who pitched it to DeAndre Hopkins, who then tossed it to Watson for a six-yard touchdown.

The score was charged as a passing touchdown, giving Hopkins a stat line of 1 for 1 passing for six yards and a score. Watson now has an NFL reception logged.

A play that the nation’s eyes had never seen before; one so far up O’Brien’s sleeve that he likely had trouble finding it; one that made the “Philly Special” look normal.

Ultimately, the Texans took their trick play to the bank. The Patriots found paydirt via an 11-yard toss to White. Then, again, they found the endzone, as Brady connected with Edelman on a 20-yard pass with less than a minute left.

Edelman’s score gave the sum of Harris County collective heart attacks. However, a recovered onside kick (knocked out of bounds) settled those. The Texans got into victory formation and won.

From the quarterbacking standpoints, Watson went 18 for 25 for 234 yards, three touchdowns and a 140.7 passer rating. He also caught a six-yard touchdown pass. Brady went 24 for 47 for 326 yards, three touchdowns, an interception and an 85.9 passer rating.

Summary

While both teams started off slow, the Texans picked it up after the Patriots scored the first points of the game, a field goal. 21 unanswered points gave Houston an insurmountable lead, which the Patriots were unable to overcome throughout a surprising Texans victory.

Turning point

While not a game-breaking play, Johnathan Joseph’s pass breakup on 4th-and-1 with7:14 left in the third quarter was a turning point. It halted any offensive momentum the Patriots gained on the drive. Instead of getting much-needed points, the Texans got the ball back.

Unique stat

Texans: It was the coming-out party for second-year outside linebacker Jacob Martin. He wreaked havoc on Brady, tallying 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss.

Patriots: Tom Brady had one of his worst games as a pro, and in recent memory. He finished with a 51.1% completion rate, and a stat line largely inflated by garbage time stats.

Scoring summary

New England Patriots — 3, 0, 6, 13 — 22

Houston Texans — 7, 7, 7, 7  — 28

First quarter

NE — Forbath  23 kick, 7:07

HTX — Johnson 14 pass from Watson, 0:45

Second quarter

HTX — Fells 13 pass from Watson, 6:26

Third quarter

HTX — Stills 35 pass from Watson, 5:49

NE — White 12 pass from Brady, 0:17

Fourth quarter

HTX — Watson 6 pass from Hopkins, 9:58

NE — White 11 pass from Brady, 3:42

NE — Edelman 20 pass from Brady, 0:55

injury report

Patriots

  • OT Marcus Cannon – Illness (returned)
  • C Ted Karras – Knee

Texans

  • RB Taiwan Jones – Hamstring

up next

The Patriots will host the 8-4 Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 8.

The Texans will host the 4-8 Denver Broncos on Dec. 8.

WATCH: WR Kenny Stills catches Texans QB Deshaun Watson’s third TD versus Patriots

Houston Texans receiver Kenny Stills caught quarterback Deshaun Watson’s third touchdown pass against the New England Patriots in Week 13.

The Houston Texans needed to go pedal to the metal against the New England Patriots, and they got exactly that with a third touchdown pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson.

On third-and-10 from the Patriots’ 35-yard line, Watson scrambled out of pressure and found receiver Kenny Stills to put the Texans up 21-3 after the extra point.

Here is the crazy part: the Texans ran that exact same play on second-and-10, but receiver Will Fuller could not hang on to the ball and was deemed to have not completed the scoring catch after an automatic review.

All’s well that ends well, and the Texans ultimately got their three scores ahead New England.

WATCH: RB Duke Johnson gives Texans the lead over Patriots

Houston Texans running back Duke Johnson gave his club the lead with a 14-yard touchdown catch against the New England Patriots.

When facing the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, the best thing to do when in the red zone is to turn trips into touchdowns.

That’s precisely what running back Duke Johnson did on a third-and-3 from the Patriots’ 14-yard line. Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw him a pass and Johnson caught it in stride for a touchdown in the right corner of the end zone.

After a Ka’imi Fairbairn extra point, the Texans took a 7-3 lead with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

Texans-Patriots live blog: Sunday Night Football

The Houston Texans and New England Patriots face off for Week 13 on Sunday Night Football. Can’t follow along conventionally? We have you covered.

The Houston Texans and the New England Patriots will square off on Sunday Night Football from NRG Stadium. Follow along for updates live from NRG Stadium.

WHEN: 7:20 p.m. CT

WHERE: NRG Stadium

FORECAST: Clear, 59 degrees, 6 mph winds (indoors)

FOLLOW: @therealmarklane, @averydduncan, @somesportsguyy

LISTEN: Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] and 100.3 The Bull [KLOL]

WATCH: NBC (Al Michaels & Cris Collinsworth)

(NOAA/NASA via AP)

In a rather surprising development, outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett is inactive. See the rest of the Texans-Patriots inactives.

Hear it from the Texans themselves on how they can complete the upset and beat the Patriots.

Want to hear something crazy? J.J. Watt may come back if the Texans make the playoffs.

In their own words: 4 keys for the Texans to beat the Patriots

The Houston Texans enter Sunday’s bout with the New England Patriots as underdogs. Find out how they can pull off the upset at NRG Stadium.

The 10-1 New England Patriots are in town to face the 7-4 Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football. A highly anticipated matchup between two of the league’s most intriguing teams, the matchup should be one of thrills and eyes glued to screens.

The Patriots come in as the favorites. If the Texans want to update, they must play a clean game of football while getting their stars going against a terrifying defense. However, don’t let a writer tell you that. Instead, let the players do so.

qb Deshaun Watson: Don’t look at the past

texans-patriots-vary-greatly-2018-matchup
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots, since the beginning of the Bill Belichick-era, have the best of most teams, including the Texans. In their 11 matchups, the Patriots are 10-1 against the Texans. New England has won the last eight against Houston, solidifying their dominance over them in the last decade.

Watson, who will face the Patriots for the third time, calls for the Texans to forget the past.

“Every year is different, every game is different. It’s a new week, a new opportunity, we’re both 0-0 and we’re both trying to be 1-0 Sunday night. That’s how we have to look at it. We can’t look in the past, we can’t look in the future,” said Watson on Wednesday. “We’ve got to focus on this moment now, and what we’re focused on is we’re focused on Wednesday practice. We’re going to focus on these meetings after practice and take it brick by brick and step by step. If we can do that, we’ll be just fine.”

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Is betting against the Texans a smart move for Week 13?

The Houston Texans and New England Patriots square off on Sunday Night Football. Is going against the Texans the safe bet to make for Week 13?

The Houston Texans and the New England Patriots square off for a Sunday Night Football affair that features one of the faces of new quarterback play in Deshaun Watson versus the old guard at signal caller in Tom Brady. Though the Texans are 7-4 and have not beaten the 10-1 Patriots since a meaningless Week 17 game at the end of the 2009 season, there is a sense of optimism that Houston could take down New England.

Michael Colangelo from the Touchdown Wire is not buying it, and advises bettors to take the Patriots at -3 (-120) over the Texans.

If there were any time in the history of this rivalry — on-sided rivalry — for the Texans to win this game, it’s this Sunday night. The problem for the Texans is that the Patriots are coming in hot on defense and probably angry on offense.

This will be the first week in the past three that the Patriots are playing in good weather since the game will be in a dome. It also doesn’t help that the Houston defense hasn’t been good since J.J. Watt went down.

Everyone is saying that the Patriots may struggle with Deshaun Watson since he’s a mobile quarterback, but they’ve played mobile quarterbacks outside of Lamar Jackson and done just fine.

Bill O’Brien is 0-5 against Bill Belichick. If you want to bet that will change, feel free. I won’t be doing it.

O’Brien, along with defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and Dolphins coach Brian Flores, are the only former Belichick assistants to not get a win against their old boss.

The Texans have come close in each of their last two contests against the Patriots with a 36-33 loss in Week 3 of 2017, Watson’s second career start, and a 27-20 loss in Week 1 of the 2018 season. If nothing else, the Texans should keep it close and have a chance to win the ballgame.