The Houston Texans finally chalked up their first win of the season with a gripping 13-9 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday. It was a morale-boosting win for the Texans who stretched their unbeaten run against the Bengals to three games. They will look to sustain the momentum of that huge victory when they take on the New England Patriots in a mouth-watering showdown this coming Sunday. The Texans are 1-8 against the reigning Super Bowl champs, including a 34-16 playoff defeat last season.
Expected to lead the Texans in that critical matchup is quarterback Deshaun Watson. He starred in his first ever NFL start against the Bengals, completing 15 of 24 passes for 125 yards with three sacks and no interceptions. The 22-year-old, who also ran five times for 67 yards Thursday, became the first rookie QB to win his first road start in a prime-time game since Philadelphia’s Joe Webb in 2010, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Also expected to contribute this weekend is the ever-improving J.J. Watt. After managing just one tackle and one quarterback hit during Houston’s opening 29-7 loss to Jacksonville, Watt bounced back with a vengeance against Cincinnati, recording six tackles, knocking down one pass and hitting Andy Dalton once. He will need to be at his best against Tom Brady who torched the Texans for 287 yards and two touchdowns in their playoff matchup last season.
The total has gone under in each of the Texans’ last four regular-season home games.
Even at the ripe old age of 40, Tom Brady is still breaking some records. The five-time Super Bowl champion threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter for the first time in his career on Sunday to lead New England to a comfortable 36-20 victory over New Orleans. It was simply a master class by Brady who eclipsed 300 yards passing in the first half for only the second time in his illustrious career. Brady finished the game with 447 passing yards as he joined Warren Moon as the only quarterbacks age 40 or older in the history of the NFL to throw for at least 400 yards and three touchdowns in a game.
The victory came at a huge price for the Pats, though, as Rob Gronkowski suffered yet another groin injury. The injury is the latest setback for the 28-year-old tight end who ended the 2016 season on injured reserve due to a back injury. He was superb in the win against the Saints, catching six passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
With Gronk possibly sidelined for the game against Houston, the pressure is on Chris Hogan and James White to deliver the goods for New England’s already-thin receiver corps. Hogan caught five passes for 78 yards and a score while White recorded 85 receiving yards on eight catches against the Saints. Another guy who needs to step up for New England is Brandin Cooks. He was targeted just four times in the win against New Orleans, catching two passes for 37 yards.
The Patriots are 4-2 SU and ATS in their last six regular-season home games.
Writer’s Prediction
New England (-14) not only wins but also covers the spread against Houston.
