PREMIUM
Stephen Nover's Texans-Patriots Blockbuster
(NFL) Houston vs. New England,
Money Line: -105.00 Houston (Away)
Result: Loss
Money Line: -105.00 Houston (Away)
Result: Loss
Much is made of legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's great record against rookie quarterbacks. Texans coach Bill O'Brien doesn't have a shabby record either in this regard. His Texans are 6-0 when facing a first-year quarterback.
Look for that mark to reach 7-0 after Thursday's Texans-Patriots game.
As great a coach as Bill Belichick is - and there is none better - he's extremely limited by the timing of this matchup even though the Patriots are home. Jimmy Garoppolo isn't going to be able to go leaving Belichick no choice but to toss rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett into the fire.
Brissett isn't nearly ready to start an NFL game and Belichick and his brilliant staff don't have enough time to coach him up with this being a Thursday game. The Patriots may again be without Rob Gronkowski, their top playmaker. New England has to heavily rely on power back LeGarrette Blount, who is entering this short week having carried the ball 29 times this past Sunday. So he could get tired early.
Perhaps Belichick could dodge this bad combination of quarterback injury/Thursday game if his team was playing a lesser foe. They aren't, though. The Texans are a playoff team with an improved offense and the NFL's third-ranked defense. The Texans lead the NFL in sacks and J.J. Watt is just now starting to come around.
I'm not a big fan of Brock Osweiler, but he's an improvement on what the Texans have had at quarterback. DeAndre Hopkins is an upper tier wide receiver and first-round rookie Will Fuller has looked good. The Texans' offensive line showed signs of coming around in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs last Sunday. Lamar Miller is an above average back and the Patriots give up 4.6 yards per rush attempt.
New England's pass rush is down with Rob Ninkovich suspended and Dont'a Hightower perhaps missing another game due to a knee injury.
The Texans know the Patriots extremely well despite being a non-division opponent. That's because they have a number of ex-Patriots as coaches and players, including O'Brien, Mike Vrabel and Vince Wilfork.
The timing is wrong here for the Patriots. This is the Texans' chance to shine.
Look for that mark to reach 7-0 after Thursday's Texans-Patriots game.
As great a coach as Bill Belichick is - and there is none better - he's extremely limited by the timing of this matchup even though the Patriots are home. Jimmy Garoppolo isn't going to be able to go leaving Belichick no choice but to toss rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett into the fire.
Brissett isn't nearly ready to start an NFL game and Belichick and his brilliant staff don't have enough time to coach him up with this being a Thursday game. The Patriots may again be without Rob Gronkowski, their top playmaker. New England has to heavily rely on power back LeGarrette Blount, who is entering this short week having carried the ball 29 times this past Sunday. So he could get tired early.
Perhaps Belichick could dodge this bad combination of quarterback injury/Thursday game if his team was playing a lesser foe. They aren't, though. The Texans are a playoff team with an improved offense and the NFL's third-ranked defense. The Texans lead the NFL in sacks and J.J. Watt is just now starting to come around.
I'm not a big fan of Brock Osweiler, but he's an improvement on what the Texans have had at quarterback. DeAndre Hopkins is an upper tier wide receiver and first-round rookie Will Fuller has looked good. The Texans' offensive line showed signs of coming around in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs last Sunday. Lamar Miller is an above average back and the Patriots give up 4.6 yards per rush attempt.
New England's pass rush is down with Rob Ninkovich suspended and Dont'a Hightower perhaps missing another game due to a knee injury.
The Texans know the Patriots extremely well despite being a non-division opponent. That's because they have a number of ex-Patriots as coaches and players, including O'Brien, Mike Vrabel and Vince Wilfork.
The timing is wrong here for the Patriots. This is the Texans' chance to shine.
