The New England Patriots and Houston Texans will meet in a Week 14 matchup Sunday night, and that brings a past Week 14 game to mind.
Back on Dec. 11, 2011, the Patriots were in Landover, Md., taking on the Washington Redskins. New England was up 34-27 with only a few minutes left in the game when Tom Brady threw a third-down pass to wide receiver Tiquan Underwood in the end zone. Washington cornerback Josh Wilson intercepted the pass, leaving the Patriots in danger of losing the lead.
After the forgettable play, Brady and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien — now the head coach of the Texans — had a huge blowup on the sideline. It was bad enough that Patriots players and head coach Bill Belichick had to intervene and diffuse the situation.
This doesn’t mean Brady will be verbally battling with O’Brien again when the Texans head coach is on the opposite sideline Sunday. The two hugged it out after the Patriots secured the win that day, and Brady took responsibility for the situation.
“We’re both pretty emotional guys,” Brady said at the time. “That’s what I deserve. (If) you make bad plays, you’re supposed to get yelled at by your coaches. It’s certainly not the first time and probably won’t be the last. You can’t do it in that situation. It was just a stupid play by me.”
Underwood also said he should have done a better job defending the ball once Wilson swooped in, and O’Brien joked about the altercation, saying he heard from his mother about the language he used.
So come Sunday, Brady and O’Brien will just be old friends. Well, after the game, at least.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
