Patriots divisional playoff against Houston hosted at Gillette Stadium January 14th wasn’t an easy victory. As much as everyone seemed to think the Patriots would crush Houston, that wasn’t the case. Although the final score was 34 – 16, there were times I thought the Patriots weren’t going to win this game.
Patriots Divisional Playoff
Before the game began, the Patriots were the favorite. Since the Patriots had a bye week, they came out playing sloppy. In the first place, the Houston Texans were clearly not a match for the Patriots offense. Not only did Houston Texans put up more points than expected, but they also managed to keep the game a lot closer than the final score.
Because Houston’s number one defense kept the Patriots off-balance, this resulted in many turnovers. In addition, Tom Brady had two interceptions in the regular season and had two in last nights game. Moreover, Patriots offense struggled through the first half of the game. The Patriots defense was a key in this win. By allowing only one touchdown, they were able to keep the Patriots in the win column.
In addition, Dion Lewis returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Also, Julian Edelman had eight receptions for 137 yards. Due to these explosive plays, the Houston Texans fell behind. Furthermore, Brock Osweiler had three interceptions in the second half. Interceptions, a drop ball and sloppy play made this an ugly win for a typically good Patriots team.
AFC Championship Game
With the win, the New England Patriots will move onto the AFC Championship Game. For the sixth consecutive season, the Patriots will host the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs game against Pittsburgh Steelers. So, the Patriots will have a week to prepare for next weeks game.
First, they can watch tapes to fix the mistakes from yesterdays game. Additionally, they can build off the good things that gave them the win. Although the Patriots beat the spread of 16 points by Las Vegas, this wasn’t an easy win.
With this in mind, the Patriots need to prepare better for their next opponent. Of course, every game gets tougher in the playoffs. If the Patriots want to make it to the Superbowl, they need to learn from their mistakes. The Patriots are hoping to meet Roger Goodell on the Superbowl stage. Nothing short of winning the Superbowl will give the Patriots satisfaction after Brady sat out the first four games of the regular season due to deflate gate.
The bye could have contributed to the Patriots sloppy play. In conclusion, I expect the Patriots to play better in next weeks AFC Championship Game.
Great write-up on the Patriots – Good job !
Thanks