1. Texans Giddy Up Out of Gate
The Texans came out of the gate strong with an 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that saw them convert two third-down opportunities. The first went to Stefon Diggs on 3rd-and-6 as C.J. Stroud hit Diggs on a corner route, while the second came via a pass interference penalty on Marte Mapu, who stuck on tight end Dalton Schultz a little too long for the referee’s liking.
The Patriots defense struggled to pressure Stroud on his initial passing attempts, as the Texans quarterback had time to survey the field comfortably. The Pats did have some solid stops against the run, however, the penalty by Mapu in the end zone proved too much and Houston grabbed an early 7-0 lead that set the stage for rookie Drake Maye to take the field for the first start of his NFL career.
But it was a quick three-and-out for Maye after two runs that netted just one yard and a skyed pass on third down that wasn’t close to anyone.
Rookie Ben Brown made the surprise start at center after just signing with the team on Wednesday night. The reasoning was unclear, though last week’s starter Nick Leverette was on the injury report all week with an ankle injury.
After a 40-yard punt by Bryce Baringer was returned for 19 yards, Houston took over on their second possession at the New England 45-yard line.
They’d quickly add another touchdown, with another third-down pass interference call helping keep the drive alive. The drive was eight plays, 45 yards with Joe Mixon picking up the second touchdown of the game.
Just like that it was 14-0 Houston, as the Texans ran 19 plays to the Patriots’ three to establish a quick double-digit lead.