Divisional Playoff Open Thread: Patriots vs. Texans

And New England was 7-0 with him in the lineup.

Let’s be honest: It couldn’t end against Brock Osweiler.

Eventually, order was restored in this AFC divisional playoff game. The answer to beating the Patriots may be in that overflow of emotion. But Saturday gave us a hint that they could be just as vulnerable with turnovers as anybody else.

That even included a second-quarter interception by Houston’s A.J. Bouye, Brady’s first of two after he’d been picked off just twice (against 28 touchdowns) in 12 regular-season appearances. Yes, he makes the Patriots immeasurably better and more risky to face.

But in the step-back view, this is what we have come to expect as we trudge deeper into January. Yet the standard here isn’t survive-and-advance.

Unfortunately, Osweiler responded by completing 59 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during the season.

They turned out to be the biggest three plays of the game, considering the Patriots’ mistakes made on offense. Brady is also the National Football League postseason leader in completions (738), attempts (1,183), yards (7,957) and touchdown passes (56). Nick Novak hit all three field goals in the game and Shane Lechler was used a lot again, with eight punts, three pinned inside the 20 and one a touchback.

While Dion Lewis was all over the field with a trio of touchdowns, including a 98-yard kickoff return for a score – the Patriots’ first of the season – the run game clearly underperformed. It was his second-highest mark over the last two seasons with last year’s Eagles game (2.63 seconds) being the only game higher.

But just as Aaron Rodgers and the Packers pulled away from the Giants with a second-half onslaught last weekend, New England put up another 17 points after halftime and wound up covering the gaudy 16-point spread.

But the first one came when wide receiver Chris Hogan had to dive coming back to a ball that hung in the air far too long. Here, though, was a pick on his fourth pass of the night. New England wasn’t impressed and responded with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Lewis.

A penalty on the following Texans drive allowed Houston to keep the ball and put three points on the board. This time, the crowd grew unsettled, the lead just 14-13. One thing is for sure, though: There will be a few nervous fans in New England this week.

The Texans got the Patriots at their worst and still lost by 18 points.

“It starts with me”, O’brien said. But six years ago, the Jets proved that what the Texans hope to do on Saturday can be done, and Sanchez showed that even a middling QB can outplay Tom Brady if everything comes together. The Pats countered by trying to force the Texans linebackers to play in space and take advantage of mismatches there. Ryan returned it 23 yards to the Texans’ 6-yard line, a devastating blow for Houston.

And then, a truism: Brady Osweiler. New England won by the score of 34-16, but some problems need to be corrected before next week’s AFC Championship game.

Dion Lewis was saving his touchdowns for the playoffs. “I got great teammates, a great coach and a great quarterback”, Lewis said. If the Steelers were to win, I believe they would pose a bigger threat to the Patriots (if they win) in an AFC title game in Foxboro.