NFL
By: Steve Atkinson
It wasn’t a pretty game by the Patriots by any means but, they did come away with the win. The defense looked absolutely lost for most of the game and the offense was good for the most part. Mac Jones had some good throws and completed the passes he needed to. The offensive line played well too and Jones was only hit once considering all the injuries’ they have on the offensive line. The Patriots defense made rookie quarterback Davis Mills look like a veteran out there today. Fortunately, the Texans made some mistakes that lost them the game and the Patriots took advantage of those mistakes.
Patriots Narrow Out A Win Sunday In Houston
The only good thing to come out of this game going forward is the season is saved. They are in second place in the AFC East behind the 3-1 Buffalo Bills. The Patriots will play a tough Dallas Cowboys team next Sunday in Foxborough. It seemed the Patriots got outplayed today and the roughing the passer call on Houston gave the Patriots added field position to score. The Patriots have ball security issues still and had a touchdown called back after Damien Harris fumbled on the one-yard line. The Patriots also had some costly penalties today as well that isn’t like them. They will have to play better next week if they want to improve their record to 3-3.
Mac Jones talked after the game about the win.
“I think there’s plays we left out there on the field, but at the same time we needed to just put together scoring drives — kicks or touchdowns,” he said. “I think if you take away our turnovers — one of them was obviously my fault, and then Damien [Harris]’s was just a bang-bang play. I think we put a lot of emphasis on that. We didn’t do a good job with that, but we still fought through that and just tried to put points on the board. There’s a lot of stuff that we’re going to watch on film that we wish we had back,” he said. “But sometimes you just have to find a way to win and it just feels better to not play as well and win but learn at the same time than play okay and then end up losing. So, the win feels good.”
Mac Jones Knows Work Needs To Be Done To Improve
It seems Jones is real about how they played today. He knows they didn’t play their best game but at the end of the day found a way to win. Jones made some great throws and had a nice touchdown to tight end, Hunter Henry, in the end zone. It’s about time he threw it in the end zone. They should’ve thrown it more in the end zone on the go-ahead field goal drive in the fourth quarter.
The Stephon Gilmore trade doesn’t look too good at the moment. J.C. Jackson and Devin McCourty got burned on a Texans touchdown today. Also, the only standout defender on the team is Matt Judon who does a great job getting to the quarterback.
Overall, I think the Patriots have some work to do. They played so well last week against the Buccaneers even though they lost. Now, this week it feels like they took a step back on defense even though they won the game. Next Sunday against the Cowboys is no easy task and Dak Prescott will give the Patriots secondary trouble. The Patriots defense has to play for a full 60 minutes not just when it feels like showing up.
