Swarming
Roby’s interception ignites Crennel’s unit, which harassed Brady all night long
A physical Texans defense keeps Tom Brady under consistent pressure.
Bradley Roby treated New England Patriots legend Tom Brady just like any other quarterback Sunday night, aggressively reading the veteran passer’s eyes and undercutting his ill-advised throw.
The Texans cornerback broke crisply on the football for a key interception after shoving aside Patriots 6-4, 225-pound rookie wide receiver N’Keal Harry, jamming the first-round draft pick to create prime positioning to pick off Brady.
In his first game back for a Grade 2 strained hamstring that sidelined him for five games, Roby’s first interception of the season and ensuing 22-yard return led to the Texans’ first touchdown of a pivotal 2822 victory at NRG Stadium.
Between Roby’s fast and physical ballhawking tactics and a resurgent pass rush strategy engineered by defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, the Texans’ defense accomplished what only one other team has done this season: beat Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Roby dedicated the game to the memory of his grandfather, Cleo Bush, who died at age 85 and was memorialized with a funeral service Saturday.
“It feels so good,” Roby said. “This game was special to me because my grandfather just passed, and I went to the funeral and I promised him and I promised myself that I would make some plays. He was blind, so he never saw me play, maybe he can see me now. I wanted to honor him.
“Rest in peace to my granddad. I was super close to him because was blind. He only saw me when I was like 2 years old. I hold him dear to my heart, and I was kind of hoping I could see him after the season, but he didn’t make it.”
The Texans joined the Baltimore Ravens as the only other team to get the best of Brady and an uncharacteristically inconsistent Patriots offense. The victory represents just the second by the Texans over the Patriots in franchise history, breaking a streak of eight consecutive losses and improving their all-time record against the traditional AFC powerhouse to 2-10.
Brady completed 24 of 47 passes for 326 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for an 85.7 passer rating. He was sacked three times, including one by Roby, who burst into the Patriots’ backfield on a corner blitz. Linebackers Jacob Martin and Zach Cunningham combined for another sack, and Martin sacked Brady by himself in the fourth quarter.
The entire Texans defense delivered an extremely strong performance against one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history.
Brady, a six-time Super Bowl champion, a four-time Super Bowl MVP, a three-time NFL MVP and a 14-time Pro Bowl selection, was rendered ineffective for the bulk of the game by a determined and opportunistic defense.
“He’s the greatest to ever play the game, he’s seen it all,” safety Justin Reid said. “We really had to switch up our defensive scheme to try to give him some new looks, and guys did a heck of a job locking in and communicating the whole game and executing to get the result we all wanted.”
The Texans’ defense hit Brady 12 times, including three by pending free agent nose tackle/defensive end D.J. Reader. That represented a major improvement from a defense that entered Sunday night with an NFL-low 3.3 quarterback hits per game since defensive end J.J. Watt was placed on injured reserve after tearing his pectoral against the Oakland Raiders.
It was impressive, especially considering that starting outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett and defensive end Angelo Blackson were out with injuries.
“RAC (Crennel), he’s a great coach,” inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney said. “He’s a daddy figure to all of us. He’s not just a coach to us. He’s on us when we do bad, and he congratulates us when we do good.”
Martin, a Katy native acquired from the Seattle Seahawks along with outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 thirdround draft pick in exchange for Pro Bowl outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, had 1 1/2 sacks and three quarterback hits. Martin now has 2 1/2 sacks for the season, all of them recorded in the past two games.
“It’s an incredible feeling, an incredible moment,” Martin said. “It’s awesome. I grew up watching Tom Brady win multiple Super Bowls. It’s an amazing feeling to get after him.”
Whether it was Roby jumping in front of Brady passes or corners Johnathan Joseph and Vernon Hargreaves delivering key pass breakups, the pass defense was clicking on all cylinders.
They prevented Brady from finding a rhythm or getting comfortable in the pocket. The 42-year-old looked his age with the exception of a rare and lumbering scramble for a first down.
Brady entered Sunday night with 2,942 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions for an 88.5 passer rating.
Roby was so excited after the interception that he celebrated by taking his helmet off, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct flag.
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson still capitalized on the turnover, throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to running back Duke Johnson to take a 7-3 lead.
Later, Roby intercepted Brady again, but it was nullified by him being flagged for defensive holding.
“That’s something I take pride in, being a game-changer and making plays,” Roby said. “I told the guys earlier in the week I was going to make a play. I didn’t know what it was, so I’m happy I was able to. I felt that energy. I felt so good.”
When Roby strained his hamstring in October against the Kansas City Chiefs, he knew it was serious immediately with an MRI confirming the extent of the damage.
Roby said this week that another setback could have sidelined him for the remainder of the season, so he had to proceed cautiously.
“It felt so good because I’ve been gone so long,” Roby said. “People kind of forget about you. I wanted to come out and remind people. It was very frustrating. I’m a football player. That’s what I do.”
That valuable extra time to recover fully paid dividends for Roby and the Texans’ defense against Brady on Sunday night.
Signed to a one-year, $10 million contract in March, Roby reinforced his value to the defense in his seventh start of the season.
It was the kind of game that cements how Roby will be perceived by the Texans and other suitors as a pending unrestricted free agent.
“I love playing here,” he said. “I love the vibe. I love the energy. It’s a new franchise, and we haven’t won a Super Bowl here. I was able to win one in Denver. I want to bring that energy and championship swagger.”