The New England Patriots are looking to start their season off with a win against the Houston Texans. Patriots fans shouldn’t be expecting a blowout.
The New England Patriots kick off their season with a tough matchup against the Houston Texans. These two teams faced off in week 3 of the 2017 season and it was a barnburner. The Patriots ended up winning, but fans were biting their nails.
This Houston team will probably be much more competitive. We have seen the damage that DeShaun Watson can do and J.J. Watt is back at 100 percent.
If the Patriots want to win they will need a complete effort on both sides of the ball. We will definitely get a gauge for what this New England Patriots team is capable of after week 1.
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So here are the 3 keys to defeating the Houston Texans in week 1.
1. Containing Deshaun Watson
The New England Patriots have sometimes struggled with mobile quarterbacks. Russell Wilson and Cam Newton have torn apart the Patriots defense at times.
If the Patriots want to win on Sunday they have to contain Deshaun Watson. They will need a solid pass rush to get Watson off his game and the d-line can’t let Watson break contain.
If Watson has room to run he can go all the way to the end zone. He has amazing speed and can make any defender miss.
The Patriots have been working on keeping contain in practice in preparation for Watson. Keion Crossen has been playing quarterback and has been running all over the field testing the defense’s ability to keep the quarterback in front of them.
This will be a big game for Adrian Clayborn. It is his first game as a Patriot and he will have to maintain his edge while still trying to rack up some sacks. A quality effort would mean a lot for Clayborn as he starts his career in New England.
2. Stopping the Texans D-line
If the Patriots want to have any success on offense they need to keep Tom Brady upright. That is pretty hard when you have J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney lining up opposite of you and are looking to take your head off.
This will be a big test for Marcus Cannon and Trent Brown on the corners. Just like Adrian Clayborn, Brown is looking to make a good impression in his first game in New England. One bad miss at the line and he will be getting yelled at by Tom Brady.
The line also needs to be effective so the Patriots can get the run game going. With the lack of quality receivers, I am expecting the run game to play a larger role in the Patriots offense. Hopefully first-round pick Sony Michel will be running up and down the field.
If the Texans defense runs rampant on the New England Patriots offensive line it could be a long day for Pats fans.
3. Feed the Beast
The New England Patriots need Rob Gronkowski to be dominant. If they want to have any chance of winning, he needs to be involved early on.
With Julian Edelman out, Gronkowski is far and away Tom Brady’s No.1 target. If he is shut down by the Houston Texans defense things will be tough for the Patriots passing game.
I’m expecting Gronkowski to have a great game. I’m predicting that he has over 100 yards and catches his first touchdown of the season.
Week 1 is the most promising and hopeful time in an NFL season. Anything seems possible and all 32 teams are chasing a Super Bowl championship.
The New England Patriots are expected to make it back to the Super Bowl, anything else would be a disappointment. Expectations are always high when you have the greatest quarterback to ever play the game on your team.
Hopefully the Patriots will start their season off with a win on Sunday.