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Film Review: Patriots vs. Texans Defense Edition

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The defense is getting a ton of attention this week because, as you’ve probably heard, they rank last or close to last in most statistical categories three games into the season. Even my favorite ranking, Football Outsiders’ DVOA has them 32nd overall.

Sometimes I feel like complaining about the defense is just what fans do every year. They led the league in points against last season but many still stuck to the narrative that they were overrated, hadn’t played any good quarterbacks, etc. For whatever reason, no matter where they rank people tend to freak out about the D. Maybe it’s because they remember the 2000s defense, when football was different and defenses could really dominate, or maybe it’s just because they’re used to seeing Tom Brady dominate and they expect the same out of the other side of the ball.

Whatever the reasoning, it’s important to really look at each sequence, especially when we’re just three games into the season. I thought Mike Reiss did a nice job breaking down the difference between how the Pats D did vs. broken plays/scrambles vs. regular drop backs:

Scramble/loose plays: 13

Normal: 24

Watson was 7-of-11 for 117 yards on scramble/loose plays in which the pocket was sometimes re-established as he rolled out. That included one interception on the game-ending Hail Mary, as well as two sacks. In the normal passing game, Watson still made plays, but the results were indeed much more uneven.

Let’s dive into the All-22 film review to get a better sense of what’s going on with the Pats’ defense.

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Film Review: Patriots D Gives Tom Brady a Chance

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Yes, if there’s one thing people are worried about with the Patriots it’s the defense because you know, after three games and like 150 snaps, they’re last in a lot of stat rankings. But this ignores the fact that without two bend-don’t-break drives in the fourth quarter from the defense that held the Texans to six points instead of 14, Tom Brady never would’ve had a chance for his heroics.

You could also throw the final game-sealing interception in there as a key play from the defense that helped with the win, but you get the point. There is plenty for the defense to get better at, none more important than stopping the big plays, but in this win over the Texans the defense wasn’t just saved by Tom Brady, they made plays when the game was on the line and deserve credit for that.

Here are two plays on the final Texans scoring drive, where they kicked a field goal to go up 33-28.

via NFLGameRewind

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Patshow #107: Texans Review, Magician John Logan

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Here’s today Patshow live featuring magician John Logan who did a pretty impressive trick using the TB12 book. We also gushed over Tom Brady’s agelessness with another game-winning touchdown and plenty more! We’d love to hear from you guys as we continue to expand the show!! Like and share!!

Pats Posits: Things to Fix But Plenty to Like

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Most of Patriots Nation is gushing over Tom Brady this morning and rightly so, as he delivered another last-minute comeback, the 50th 4th quarter comeback of his career, with a pinpoint end zone pass to Brandin Cooks. The game against the Texans was one where the two teams were evenly matched and for many spoiled Patriots fans, that’s cause for concern.

But it’s important to remember this is only Week 3. It’s still September. And when you look around the rest of the NFL, with 15 teams owning the same 2-1 record as the Pats and just two undefeated teams remaining, it’s clear that everyone is still figuring it out. The “figuring it out” phase is always hard for fans. It’s a roller coaster of inconsistency as teams discover what they’re good at and where their weaknesses are.

So yes, the Patriots have some weaknesses, and the defensive performances especially are concerning, especially when you see they’re giving up twice the points-per-game that they did last year (15.6 vs. 31.7).

Let’s unpack all the leftover thoughts on what we’ve seen from the 2017 Pats, including where they must improve if they’re to start their annual mid-season climb to the top of the NFL rankings once again.

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Patriots Pull Out Win vs. Texans

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Tom Brady threw for 378 and five touchdowns, leading a last-minute comeback drive to dispatch the Houston Texans 36-33 in Foxboro on Sunday. It was a surprisingly close game with Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson escaping numerous tacklers and making multiple plays that gave Houston the late lead.

But Tom Brady is still Tom Brady, leading the 50th (!!!) fourth-quarter comeback of his career in victory. The Pats now move to 2-1 on the season and will face the Carolina Panthers next Sunday who are coming off a 34-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.


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A Look Back: Patriots-Texans Rivalry

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4G9vij_cHo

While the Patriots-Texans rivalry hasn’t been much of a rivalry on the field, their games have actually featured some really significant developments that have had major impacts. Though the Patriots haven’t lost to the Texans since 2010’s season finale and own a 8-1 overall record, the Texans have exacted more than a pound of flesh in some of those victories.

The most notable is of course losing Wes Welker to a torn ACL in that only loss, which set the stage for the Pats to get embarrassed at home in the wild card round the next week against the Ravens. The Welker injury was everything the Pats could not afford to have happen, losing their third down engine in a meaningless game a week before the playoffs started. This thrust Julian Edelman into the spotlight against the Ravens, where he came through with six catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns, but it would be four more seasons before Edelman truly took over that role from Welker.

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