Patriots PostGame Notebook: A Hard-Earned Comeback in the Heart of Texas

Ryan L. Fox

​After years and years of success and having winning records going into the month of October, the New England Patriots were in uncharted waters for the first time in a long time. They were under .500 (1-3) and were faced with roster changes. They traded All-Pro CB Stephon Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers, starting RT Trent Brown went on IR as his calf injury seemed to be getting worse and worse, and 3 of their starting offensive linemen (LT Isiah Wynn, LG Michael Onwenu, and RG Shaq Mason) had tested positive for COVID.

Fortunately, with the next game being against an opponent that the Patriots have had success in the past against, the Houston Texans, it seemed that those problems wouldn’t factor in. But on Sunday in NRG Stadium down in Houston, Texas, the Patriots found themselves in a dogfight with the Texans. Down big early and with their season in jeopardy, the team clawed and fought their way while taking advantage of their opponent’s miscues. When the dust settled, the Patriots found themselves back in the winning circle and hopefully on the winning path.

Game Recap
The Texans opened up with the ball to begin the game as KR/WR Andre Roberts brought the opening kick to the Houston 21. 

From there, Texans rookie QB Davis Mills drove the Houston offense down the field. During the drive, the Texans were faced with multiple third downs, being able to convert including getting help from the Patriots defense (a 10-yard pass interference call on CB J.C. Jackson on 3rd and 8 on the Houston 33). The Texans were also converted 4th and 2 from the New England 38 as Mills hit RB David Johnson for an 8 –yard pass. The Texans were able to keep moving the ball and grinding on the clock, getting down to the New England 11. On 3rd and 1, Mills found back-up TE Antony Auclair over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown. But on the ensuing PAT attempt, K Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked the ball wide right as the Houston lead was 6-0 with 4:54 left in the first quarter.

The kicking woes for Fairburn continued as he kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bound, giving the Patriots perfect field position on their own 40 for their first possession of the game.

After two running plays by RB Damien Harris, QB Mac Jones found WR Kendrick Bourne for a 15-yard pass down to the Houston 37. Bourne then followed that big play with a 12-yard run on an end-around to the Houston 25. Two plays later, Jones found WR Nelson Ahgolor for an 11-yard pass on 3rd and 3 to the Houston 7 to keep the drive alive. Harris was then stuffed for no gain on 1st and goal as the first quarter came to a close.

When the second quarter opened up, Jones found WR Jakobi Meyers for a 6-yard pass down to the Houston 1. Harris bowled his way over the goalline on the ensuing play as the game was tied up 6-6. Bu then Patriots K Nick Folk missed on the following PAT attempt and the game remained tied 6-6 with 14:17 in the 2nd quarter

The Texans got the ball back on their own 25 for their second possession of the game. Unlike their first possession, the drive was much shorter. It took just 3 plays and 1:21 off the clock as Mills found WR Chris Moore along the sideline, who outjumped both J.C. Jackson and then proceeded to outrun the Patriots secondary down the sidelines and into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown reception. But Fairburn once again shanked the PAT try as the score was 12-6 with under 13:00 left in the second quarter. 

The Patriots got the ball back as KR/WR Gunner Olszewski brought the ball back to the New England 22. From there, the Patriots offense got back to work. The drive opened up with four consecutive runs, getting up to the New England 41. Then on 3rd and 2, Jones found Meyers over the middle for a 17-yard pass to the Houston 42. Jones followed that up with a 23-yard pass to TE Jonnu Smith to the Houston 19 as 10 more yards were tacked on due to an unnecessary roughness penalty on SS Lonnie Johnson Jr., giving the Patriots 1st and goal on the Houston 9. 

Jones found Smith again for another pass, this time for 4 yards, down to the Houston 5. Then on the next play, Harris took the handoff and bowled his way up the middle for what appeared to be the tying touchdown. But on replay, Texans CB Terrance Mitchell was able to punch the ball out before Harris crossed the goalline and fell onto the ball in the end zone for the touchback.

The Texans offense went back out onto the field for the third time in the game, starting on their own 20. Mills once again lead the offense down the field against the Patriots defense in another long drive. This included converting two 4th down situation. The first was a 6-yard pass from Mills to WR Brandin Cook for 6-yards on 4th and 1 from the Houston 42 to the Houston 48 while the other was a 4-yard pass from Mills to WR Chris Conley on 4th and 2 from the New England 44 down to the New England 4. 

On the ensuing play, J.C. Jackson was hit with a defensive holding penalty in the end zone, giving the Texans 1st and goal at the New England 2. But then a false start penalty followed by a short run gain and then back-to-back sacks by Patriots LB Matt Judon caused the drive to stall out. Fairbairn came out to attempt a 33-yard field goal try. The kick went through the uprights as the Texans lead grew to 15-6 with 1:36 left in the game.

With time winding down, the Patriots got the ball back as Olszewski returned the ball to the New England 21. Jones then lead the offense down the field, trying to get one last score before halftime. The Patriots got all the way down to the Houston 34 as with time winding down, Folk came out to attempt a 52-yard field goal. The snap and hold were good as Folk’s kick went right down the middle to make it 15-9 with 2 seconds left in the half. 

The second half opened up with Olszewski bringing the kickoff to the New England 27. After a run for no game, the Patriots were faced with 2nd and 10 from the New England 27. Jones tried to find Agholor down the middle but the pass was picked off by Johnson Jr. at the New England 44.

A 7-yard run by Texans RB Mark Ingram made it 2nd and short from the New England 37. On the ensuing play, Ingram took the handoff up the middle. But at the last second, he tossed the ball back to Mills for a flea flicker. Mills then found Conley deep on the right side for a 37-yard touchdown. Fairbairn was able to make his first extra-point attempt of the game to make it 22-9 with 13:31 left in the game.

Following a Patriots punt, the Texans got the ball back at their own 28. They got up to their own 36 before punting for the first time of the game. But then on 4th and 2 at the Houston 36, P Cameron Johnson tried to look like he was faking a punt but then dropped back to punt. But the ball ended up bouncing on ST/S Terrence Brooks helmet and then went out of bounds at the Houston 36.

But with the great field position, the Patriots couldn’t move the ball and had to settle for a field goal. Folk booted the 52-yard attempt through the uprights for his second field goal of the game to make it 22-12 with 8:25 remaining in the third quarter.

Following a Houston punt, the Patriots got the ball back on their own 39. Jones opened the drive up by finding TE Hunter Henry over the left side for 21 yards to the Houston 40. Two plays later, Jones found Agholor for 20-yards down to the Houston 16. But then the Houston defense stiffened up, allowing a total of 2 yards on 3 plays as the Patriots were faced with 4th and 8 from the Houston 14. Folk trotted out and lined up to attempt a 32-yard field goal. Folk booted the ball through the uprights as the Patriots clawed a little closer to make it 22-15 with 1:50 left in the third quarter.

The Texans got the ball back on their own 22 as the offense came back out onto the field. At first the Texans looked poised to answer the Nick Folk field goal but once they got into New England territory, the drive stalled out. On 4th and 4 from the New England 38, Fairbairn came on to attempt a 56-yard field goal. The kick had the distance but it didn’t have the accuracy as it went wide right, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 37 with 13:25 left in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots opened up the drive with a 7-yard run by Harris and then Jones found Henry for 10-yard pass to the Houston 37 on the following play. The Patriots then went to the ground game over the next few plays, churning out yards and grinding out clock. The offense got all the way down to the Houston 13 where on 3rd and 6 from there, Jones found Henry near the back left corner of the end zone for the touchdown. Folk booted the PAT through the uprights to tie the game at 22-22 with 9:31 left in the game.

After another Houston punt, the Patriots got the ball back on their own 13. The drive opened up with Jones finding Meyers for a catch-and-run for 24 yards up to the New England 37. But then a holding penalty and a sack backed the Patriots up. Then on 3rd and 18, Jones pass to WR N’Keal Harry was almost intercepted but fell onto the turf. But a costly, yet questionable, roughing the passer penalty on the Texans defense gave the Patriots an automatic first down at their own 44. Following two consecutive running plays, Jones found Henry over the middle for a 10-yard pass to the Houston 42. Two plays later, RB Brandon Bolden rumbled down the field for 24 yards to the Houston 18.

The Patriots stayed on the ground for the next few plays, churning out both yards and clock as the Texans could only watch on in agony. The Patriots got down to the Houston 3 as with 17 seconds left in the game, Folk came out to attempt a 21-yard field goal. He booted the ball through the uprights as for the first time in the game, the Patriots had the lead 25-22 with 15 seconds left in the game.

The Houston Texans got the ball back on their own 25 with 15 seconds left on the clock. On the first play, Mills’ threw an incompletion as 8 seconds remained. Mills then found Cook over the right side for 8 yards as they tried to initiate a lateral play. But the ball squirted free up to the Houston 47 and recovered by LB Matt Judon to end the game and cap off the big comeback.

Notable Patriots Players Statistical Standouts
QB Mac Jones: 23-for-30 for 231 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT for a QB rating of 95.3, 1 carry for 3 yards (3.0 yards per carry)

RB Damien Harris: 14 carries for 58 yards (4.1 yards per carry), 1 TD, and 1 fumble lost

WR Jakobi Meyers: 4 catches (on 5 targets) for 56 yards

TE Hunter Henry: 6 catches (on 8 targets) for 75 yards and 1 TD

K Nick Folk: 4-for-4 on Field Goals and 1-for-2 on PATs for a total of 13 points.

LB Matt Judon: 4 tackles (2 solo, 2 assists) and 2.0 sacks

CB J.C. Jackson: 5 tackles (4 solo, 1 assists) and 1 pass defended

S Kyle Dugger: 10 tackles (5 solo, 5 assists)

S Adrian Phillips: 8 tackles (5 solo, 3 assists)

Numbers! Numbers! Numbers!
10:06 – The length of time of the Texan’s opening drive in the 1st quarter (took 18 plays and went 79 yards before finished off with a touchdown)

.786– The winning percentage of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick against rookie quarterbacks during his tenure with the Patriots (22-6)

3 – The number of missed extra points in the game (2 by Fairbairn and 1 by Folk)

0 – The number of punts during the first half of the game by both teams

11:55 – The time mark in the 3rd quarter for the game’s first punt (A 58-yard punt by Jake Bailey to the Houston 17, net 47 yards)

15 – The number of seconds that the Patriots had the lead for the entire game (but it was the last 15 seconds of the game)

126 – The number of rushing yards (on 30 carries) by the Patriots in the game (4.2 yards per carry)

-4 – The turnover differential of the Patriots for the season

6.5 - The number of sacks Patriots LB Matt Judon has on the season in 5 games (

Did You Know That…
- Damien Harris’ touchdown run to open up the second quarter marked the first time this season that the Patriots scored a touchdown on their first possession of the game.

- The Texan’s first quarter scoring drive took up 10:06 off the clock. That was the longest drive (time of possession-wise) since Week 13 back in 2011 when the Texans had a 10:08 drive in the 2nd quarter in a 17-10 victory against the Atlanta Falcons

- Houston Texans WR Chris Moore had (109) receiving yards for the game. That was the first time that the Patriots have allowed an opposing receiver to have 100+ yards in a single game since Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills back in a Week 16 (Patriots lost 38-9 as Diggs finished the game with 9 catches for 145 yards and 3 TDs)

- Since 2014, the Texans were 42-4 (.913) while leading at halftime. After today’s game, they are now 42-5 (.894)

- Patriots QB Mac Jones has now 20+ completions in each of his 5 starts, becoming the first Patriots rookie QB in franchise to do so.

My Two Cents
Cent #1: I was actually impressed by the Patriots offensive line. I mean granted, this Houston Texans defense didn’t have the playmakers like it did in the past (i.e. Watt and Clowney) but they still were able to put some sort of pressure on Mac Jones at certain points of the game. But for a patchwork group pushed into action, they did alright

Jones had a clean pocket for a majority of the game. I mean, the first sack allowed by the Patriots offensive line came 6:24 in the third quarter. Not to mention that they were able to open up some holes for the Patriots run game, allowing the runners to gain an impressive 126 yards on 30 carries after they posted -1 yards rushing the year before.

At least for now the Patriots offensive line concern talks can be put to rest for the time being after today’s game.

Cent #2: If there are people who do not believe that special teams are a factor in today’s NFL, I oughta smack you upside the head and then show you a replay of this game. Clearly special teams played a huge factor in the Houston Texans’ loss. First were the 2 PATs that Fairbairn shanked plus his missed 56-yard field goal. That right there is 5 points.

But the biggest special teams’ blooper was that stupid punt attempt by Texans P Cameron Johnson where he tried to set up a fake punt, but then tried to booted the ball but it donked off a teammate’s head and out of bounds. That play, that single play, swung momentum. The Texans could not score or generate any real sort of sustainable offense while the Patriots were able to score 16 on their next 4 possessions to come away with the win.

See, special teams does matter you dolts.

Fox Fist Bump
This week, I’m giving a Fox Fist bump to Patriots LB Matt Judon.

This man is becoming a one-man wrecking crew on the Patriots defense now. With Stephon Gilmore traded, Judon has become arguably the best defensive player on the squad. In the game, he was all over the field making plays and putting pressure on Texans QB Davis Mills.

But his biggest moments came in the second quarter. With the Texans driving down and pretty much set up with 1st and goal deep in New England territory, they were poised to take a huge lead. But on first down, Judon burst through for a 2-yard loss and then followed that up with a 9-yard loss that and forced the Texans to settle for a field goal.

And that’s why you paid him the big bucks

The Meatball of the Game
This is the first time in 2021 that an opponent was named the Meatball of the Game but both Texans P Cameron Johnson and K Ka’imi Fairbairn were this week’s meatballs.

For Cameron, it was that stupid fake punt-turned really punt play where he doinked it off a teammate’s helmet. That lead to a field goal by the Patriots and pretty much swung momentum in favor of the visitors.

For Kai’imi, what an absolute bum.

He shanks not only one but two extra points plus a field goal that cost the Texans 5 points, which ultimately costed them the game. The cherry on top was his kick out of bounds following the Texans’ first touchdown, which gave the Patriots the ball at their own 40 and a short field (they ultimately scored a touchdown on that drive).

Just wow.

Play of the Game
Doink II: Off the Helmet Skidoo 

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