The New England Patriots are in an unfamiliar situation as they head south to play the Houston Texans.
The Patriots, coming off losses to the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, are trying to prevent a three-game slide. They haven’t lost three consecutive games since 2002, which is unbelievably impressive.
The Patriots don’t play the Texans often, but there are plenty of connections between the teams. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien is a former Patriots offensive coordinator, and Houston assistants Romeo Crennel and George Godsey are former coaches in New England. Texans assistant coaches Mike Vrabel and Anthony Pleasant played under Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in New England.
Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer and nose tackle Vince Wilfork are former Patriots. New England receivers Keshawn Martin and Damaris Johnson were with the Texans as recently as training camp.
Both teams have advantages and disadvantages because of that familiarity, and this week’s matchup might feel more like a training camp practice than regular season game for both squads because of similar schemes.
Here are this week’s keys for the Patriots:
ATTEMPT TO CONTAIN J.J. WATT
J.J. Watt is the most dominant defensive player in the NFL, but the Indianapolis Colts proved this season he can be contained. It certainly will help this week that Watt broke his left hand in practice Wednesday.
Watt typically rushes from left defensive end, but he can move around the Texans’ defensive line. His broken hand could limit him from moving around, however, since he’ll need to use his free right hand to gain separation from his blocker.
Since Watt rushes from the left side, it mostly will be up to Patriots right tackle Marcus Cannon to stop Watt. Cannon’s had an up-and-down season since becoming a starter after Nate Solder went down with a torn biceps. Cannon will need to have his best game of the season to stop Watt, and he’ll need plenty of help from right guards Tre’ Jackson and Josh Kline and tight ends Michael Williams, Scott Chandler and Asante Cleveland.
Regardless of Watt’s injury and how well Cannon and company can block the All-Pro, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady still will need to get rid of the ball quickly, and the Patriots’ running backs need to be patient. Watt can be held in check in the run game when forced to over pursue.
KEY IN ON DEANDRE HOPKINS
No. 1 wideout DeAndre Hopkins is by far the Texans’ best offensive weapon, and the Patriots typically are pretty good at taking out a team’s best player.
Hopkins is worthy of being double covered throughout Sunday night’s matchup with Patriots No. 1 cornerback Malcolm Butler and their free safety, whether that’s Devin McCourty or Duron Harmon.
Patriots corner Logan Ryan should be able to contain Nate Washington by himself, and the Patriots’ nickel DB, which could be Patrick Chung, Justin Coleman, Tavon Wilson or Leonard Johnson, should be a good matchup for Texans slot receiver Cecil Shorts.
The Texans’ rushing attack has struggled mightily since Arian Foster was lost for the season, so the Patriots won’t need to stack the line to stop Chris Polk, Jonathan Grimes or Alfred Blue.
GET JAMES WHITE INVOLVED EARLIER
White caught seven passes for 83 yards in the fourth quarter in the Patriots’ 35-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week and had just three receptions for 33 yards in the first three quarters. White proved he needs to be targeted earlier and more often moving forward this season.
White doesn’t have the speed, agility or explosiveness of injured Patriots running back Dion Lewis, but he’s proven to be dependable, and trust can go a long way with Brady.
Brady needs to stop throwing deep as often, so White and slot receiver Danny Amendola need to be his top targets. Brady averaged just 3.3 throws of 20 yards or more in the first seven games of the season, and he’s thrown 6.4 deep passes in the last five games. Brady’s hitting just 28 percent of those passes since Lewis went down with the season-ending torn ACL.
Thumbnail photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images
