Johnathan Joseph is in denial.
That’s the only logical explanation for his comments in the wake of his Texans falling to the Patriots in the AFC divisional round on Sunday. The cornerback not only can’t believe his team lost, but he also thinks the Texans are still better than the Patriots, who earned themselves a date with the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game with Sunday’s victory.
“Obviously we had the right guys in here to win 13 ballgames to get up to that point,” Joseph told reporters Monday. “For whatever reason, we didn’t advance. I still can’t put that over because I think we were a better team. I think we just didn’t make the plays at the right time.”
Joseph, who joined Houston after spending his first five seasons in Cincinnati, is going to his second straight Pro Bowl. Yet despite the talent level of he and the rest of the Texans’ secondary, Tom Brady and the potent New England offense torched Houston both during the regular season and during Sunday’s playoff clash.
Regardless of the Patriots’ dominance, though, Joseph can’t come to grips with the notion that there’s a big gap between the two teams.
“Just four or five plays. You take a few of those plays that they made and go the other way, it’s a different ballgame,” Joseph said.
Joseph acknowledged that the Texans had a special season, but you can bet Houston fans are no longer satisfied with simply making the playoffs. Neither is Joseph, and he referred to the Texans’ inability to win the Super Bowl as “disappointing.”
Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Johnathan Joseph
