Pats ‘D’ opens eyes
Houston has a problem scoring points this time
FOXBORO — Deshaun Watson made it easy for the Patriots on his first snap of this 2018 season, botching a handoff to Lamar Miller and gifting Tom Brady an early trip to the red zone.
As for the next 67 snaps? The rejuvenated Patriots front seven made every single one of those excruciatingly difficult for Watson.
The Pats frequently overwhelmed the Houston offensive line, striking the perfect balance between containing the elusive Watson and rattling him with pressure.
In last year’s matchup, Watson was often scrambling out of the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield and generating huge gains.
In yesterday’s opener, Watson was frantically retreating, simply hoping to get the ball back to the line of scrimmage to avoid intentional grounding.
The end result: A 27-20 Pats victory over the Texans that wasn’t nearly as competitive as the final score indicates.
“Any time you have a guy who could break the pocket and extend plays, you always want to be conscious of that, but you don’t want to be too timid and don’t have any rush at all,” said Trey Flowers. “We wanted to be aggressive, but also be aware of the rush lanes.”
Flowers finished with 1.5 sacks. With 8:43 remaining and the Texans attempting to mount a comeback, Flowers strolled past Julian Davenport, fought through a hold from Davenport, and wrestled Watson to the ground.
Deatrich Wise also registered a sack and a half, splitting one with Flowers.
“If it’s Trey, I’m willing to share it,” Wise joked.
Adrian Clayborn generated the initial pressure on their shared sack, which forced Houston to settle for a field goal.
After his solo sack, Wise sprinted to the sideline and busted out a random bowling celebration.
Twice the Texans set up shop in the Pats’ red zone. The first opportunity came when Houston’s Angelo Blackson tipped a Brady pass at the line of scrimmage. The ball was intended for James White, who was open on an angle route. It fluttered into the arms of Houston’s Tyrann Mathieu at the Pats’ 17.
The Patriots defense held strong, though. Keionta Davis applied the pressure and hit Watson on a second-down pass attempt. Wise and Flowers split the sack on third down. Houston went 7 yards in the wrong direction and settled for a field goal.
The Texans’ second short-field opportunity occurred when Patriots receiver Riley McCarron dropped a punt at his own 16 with 4:32 to go. At that point, the Pats were coasting with a 27-13 lead.
The Texans needed eight plays to punch the ball in the end zone, but Watson finally connected with Bruce Ellington for a 5-yard touchdown pass that brought them within seven points and created some temporary drama.
Watson’s Hail Mary as time expired fell short of the end zone and was batted away by Duron Harmon for the Pats.
In the end, Watson, who lit up the entire NFL in six starts a year ago, completed 17-of-34 passes for 176 yards, averaging only 5.1 yards per attempt.
From the beginning, Watson never appeared comfortable. He fumbled the first snap (his own doing) and was nearly sacked for a safety on the first play of Houston’s third possession. Malcom Brown brought the heat from the middle, and Watson somehow stayed upright long enough to throw the ball at the feet of an eligible receiver, avoiding the sack.
Across the board, the Patriots front seven looked recharged.
“We got a lot of great guys on the defensive front, whether it’s interior or on the outside,” Flowers said. “I feel as though our matchup against any team can give them problems.”
Offensively, Brady spread the wealth. Rob Gronkowski did Rob Gronkowski things, totaling 123 yards on seven catches. Thirty yards came on an impossible catch between double coverage with 1:09 left in the first half. Phillip Dorsett, who enjoyed a breakout game, finished the drive with a touchdown to give the Pats a 21-6 lead at the half.
The running back trio of Rex Burkhead, James White and Jeremy Hill combined for 156 yards from scrimmage. Hill, however, left early with a knee injury.
Dorsett, primarily known as a deep threat, created separation on short, out-breaking routes. He’s established obvious chemistry with Brady. His seven catches were a career high. The offense was as expected. The defense was a hell of a lot better than anyone thought. There were no communication breakdowns in the secondary. Only one of Watson’s 34 pass attempts went for longer than 20 yards.
“We couldn’t allow the guys in the back end to have to cover all day,” Flowers said. “So, we just kind of knew we had to be aggressive, but we had to be aware.”