Devin McCourty has played 199 games for the New England Patriots. He believes Sunday’s was one of his worst.
On the latest episode of his “Double Coverage” podcast, the veteran safety admitted he “played terrible” in New England’s 25-22 win over the Houston Texans.
“Probably one of the top-five worst games that I’ve played since being on the Patriots,” McCourty said, via MassLive.com. “I’m not going to get mad — like, you can’t. It is what it is.”
McCourty was at least partially at fault on Houston’s two longest gains Sunday: a 67-yard touchdown pass to Chris Moore and a 40-yard catch-and-run by Chris Conley on fourth-and-2. He wasn’t the primary cover man on either play — that was J.C. Jackson and Joejuan Williams, respectively — but was supposed to provide over-the-top support on both. He overran the first and missed a tackle on the second.
Running back David Johnson also beat McCourty on a slant for an earlier fourth-down conversion. McCourty’s 29.3 Pro Football Focus grade for the game was both the lowest of any Patriots defender and the lowest of his highly successful 12-year career.
The Patriots’ defense as a whole struggled in the first half Sunday before eventually stabilizing. After scoring on each of their first four possessions (touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown), the Texans were shut out for the final 28 minutes as New England rallied back from a 13-point deficit.
McCourty, who has played all but one defensive snap this season, will look to bounce back this Sunday against the high-scoring Dallas Cowboys.
