Why did the Texans roll over and play dead, but not the Pats?

[ctpatsfan77]

Last week, the Patriots took the Texans to the woodshed, and it was pretty clear that by early in the fourth quarter, the Texans had just completely given up.

OTOH, the Texans had every reason to keep fighting: after all, a win would have made it much easier for them to get the #1 seed.

This week, the Pats fall behind 31-3, and actually manage to tie the game.

OTOH, you could have argued that the Pats could have just played out the game, tried to at least make the score respectable, and try to just leave the game without suffering any (more) major injuries.

So: why the two vastly different outcomes?

ETA: Some posters have been answering a question I wasn't asking. I think fixing the thread title should ameliorate that.

 

[Sciz]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

I think it has a lot to do with how the score got so lopsided in the first place. The Pats game wasn't so much of the Texans making terrible mistakes as it was the Pats making great ones. On the other hand, the 49ers early lead was probably more from Pats mistakes and less of the 49ers playing exceptionally well. So while the Pats felt that they could get back in the game by not committing turnovers (and they did), the Texans most likely felt that they couldn't get back in the game no matter how well they played.

Since I'm a numbers person... if you get down by 4 TDs because you're playing like a 1 out of 10 and your opponent is playing a 6, you think you can come back, where you don't think you can if you are playing like a 4 and your opponent is playing like a 9.

 

[manxman2601]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

Last week, the Patriots took the Texans to the woodshed, and it was pretty clear that by early in the fourth quarter, the Texans had just completely given up.

OTOH, the Texans had every reason to keep fighting: after all, a win would have made it much easier for them to get the #1 seed.

This week, the Pats fall behind 31-3, and actually manage to tie the game.

OTOH, you could have argued that the Pats could have just played out the game, tried to at least make the score respectable, and try to just leave the game without suffering any (more) major injuries.

So: why the two vastly different outcomes?

Different game, different players, different coaches, different weather, different circumstances. Nope sorry, completely at a loss as to why

 

[BradyBranch39]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

the 49er defense has more than just JJ Watt.

 

[Guts]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

Because the Niners have the beat defense in the league and you can't beat a team with the best defense witjna -2 turnover ratio that and freaking Amdy Lee kept backing us up to inside our 10

 

[Joker]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

because the Pats are cheaters and Got hates us...or....I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have wanted to be outside anywhere around here tonight for more than a few minutes...I fish year round down here and today was one of those days you stay in ,unless you're nuts...now look at the re-run of that game and I guarantee you will see drops that under any other circumstances would be catches...couple that with the 49ers punishing run game and our ineffectiveness and fumbleitis and you get what we saw...it's ONE GAME played in specifically bad conditions....people will try to "trend" this up because every nitwit with a TV these days kneejerks everything they see, rushing to out scoop and out predict and out moan and groan each other like lemmings over a cliff.

The Pats dug a hole for themselves in the first four games of the season...THAT was problematic and issues needed working out...THIS game the Pats did not start in sync...they got in sync..it became a one possession game and the other team made that ONE PLAY that tipped the balance....stop that KO return and tell me that you or anyone else can predict what transpires afterwards?...if they laid down in this game I'd be worried.

Yeah, who wouldn't want a first round bye?...but then think of the teams and fans that would sell their souls for a chance to eke in at 7-9? I'll take where we are at and look forward to taking our best shot. I have confidence in this year's squad that they WILL fight hard, no matter their limitations.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

the 49er defense has more than just JJ Watt.

Because the Niners have the beat defense in the league and you can't beat a team with the best defense witjna -2 turnover ratio that and freaking Amdy Lee kept backing us up to inside our 10

That's not the question I'm asking.

I'm asking why it is that the Pats mounted a comeback, while the Texans rolled over.

 

[PatriotSeven]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

Houston played like crap. Just like we did for the first 2 quarters last night. We were on the verge of it too down 31-3.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

Houston played like crap. Just like we did for the first 2 quarters last night. We were on the verge of it too down 31-3.

:sigh:

See post #7.

 

[PatriotSeven]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

:sigh:

See post #7.

Because we kept scoring on their D and they couldn't score on ours. They also never got the stops our defense gave us.

Not sure if they didn't fight.

At least not up until the end of the third quarter. They didn't have the same confidence they could mount that type of comeback against us and probably could never make the adjustments like we did, to swing momentum.

 

[smg93]

Re: Why a blowout last week, and a nailbiter this week?

Pats have the capability to score lots of points when playing hurry up (I thought they should have done this more in the first half). Houston, not so much.

I also thought the niners' D played softer in the second half (except for the last drive) whereas the Pats D did not let up on HOU.