New England Patriots: Tom Brady works his magic again

The New England Patriots started off the 2018-2019 regular season right with a 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans. Once again, Tom Brady was the recipe for success.

The New England Patriots came into the 2018-2019 regular season more bruised and battered than they’ve ever been during the Bill Belichick era. Despite the injuries and non-stop drama, Belichick and company pulled out a hard-fought 27-20 week 1 win at Foxboro against a feisty Houston Texans squad featuring a healthy Deshaun Watson.

Back in my week 1 preview article, I stressed the idea that New England must focus on three in-game tasks in order to come out with a victory. For the most part, the Pats followed that blueprint and succeeded in getting after Watson.

Multiple times throughout the first half, Houston’s quarterback looked more flustered than he ever has, leaving the pocket frantically every time Adrian Clayborn and the defensive line pressured him.

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As a result, Watson completed only 50 percent of his passes for 176 yards and was sacked three times. Watson struggled early, fumbling the ball on his very first play of the game, and couldn’t recover because of the deadly New England game plan. And big mistakes against this team don’t bode well.

The biggest concern going into this game for the Pats was their receiver depth, especially without Julian Edelman. Instead of folding over, Brady put his greatness on display, throwing the ball to nine different receivers. Rob Gronkowski and Phillip Dorsett lead the way with two touchdowns and almost 200 yards combined.

Even more impressive, Brady targeted six receivers five times or more, according to ESPN. Watson on the other hand only targeted two receivers five times or more (DeAndre Hopkins and Bruce Ellington).

Tom Brady can do anything

Brady’s one of the best in the NFL at making something out of nothing (Aaron Rodgers too), and with virtually no WR1 at his disposal, the Hall of Fame quarterback weaved his way through a bevy of different pass-catchers.

Brady wasn’t perfect, but it’s only week 1. He threw a pick in the first half, but only because the ball was deflected in the air. Even after the interception, Watson failed to convert a TD in the Red Zone.

Shockingly, Belichick ran the ball a lot too. Rex Burkhead finished with 18 touches for only 64 yards. As expected, Houston mitigated the run with their stout defensive line. Burkhead only averaged 3.6 yards per carry, and finished with no rushing touchdowns. James White was more effective as their backfield option. He finished with a touchdown to go along with four catches and 38 yards.

Belichick should continue to look into White as the primary running back option, mainly because he’s showed his versatility continuously over the past few years. Both him and Burkhead are good receiver options as well.

Just by watching the first half, Brady seemed like he was on cruise control. He effortlessly threw a beauty to Gronk for a touchdown immediately following the Watson fumble. Quietly, Brady ended the game with an 84.3 QBR and looked as sharp as any player you’ll see at the age of 41.

Despite the close score, the game itself looked out of reach around the 2:30 mark when New England lead 27-13. If not for a garbage time touchdown, the game would have finished as a two-score win for the Pats.

Sure, it may not have been the most convincing win for Brady and Belichick. There were certain things throughout the contest that featured some nonchalant play, something fans don’t normally see from a surprisingly stubborn coach.

dark. Next. Let’s just enjoy the greatness of Rob Gronkowski

However, Brady answered any questions with regards to receiver problems, and the defense pressured Waston enough where he seemed out of sync for most of the time he was out there. It’s a huge win for a team that must head to Sacksonville for week 2.

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