OFFICIAL: Patriots at Texans Game Thread

[DaBruinz]

Starting this early.

We already know the following:
Hightower, Edelman, Kline are all out.

Questionable:
Gronkowski, Chung, S. Chandler, Coleman, Matt Slater.

Eric Martin was promoted from the Practice Squad.
Patriots will dress the 7 healthy OL they have. Mason, Fleming, Jackson will get a lot of snaps.

If the Pats are without Gronk and Chandler, we'll see Mike Williams lined up opposite JJ Watt nearly all game long.. Probably should see this regardless. To ensure that Watt is doubled..

Bryan Stork's biggest challenge of his career comes today against Vince Wilfork. They practiced all last year against one another.

I really wish that BB had found a way to get Vrabel in as the Linebacker's coach for New England.. Vrabel was such a consummate player..

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Clinching scenarios for NE...

Can clinch a playoff spot with a win.

Can clinch the division with a win and a MIA loss (with PIT winning and BUF losing, NE will clinch the SoV tiebreaker over NYJ a MIA loss).

 

[JMC00]

Bryan Stork's biggest challenge of his career comes today against Vince Wilfork. They practiced all last year against one another.

Not sure about that....

 

[The Brandon Five]

I am reading that Watt is playing with a full club. How is that kind of thing legal? Can we give Chandler Jones a sledgehammer to even things out?

 

[borg]

Texans playing for sole possession of their crappy division. This is going to be a street fight. A Pitt/Cincy like pregame dust up??? Has a BB team ever gone the pregame intimidation route? Maybe if Edelman got on somebody's shoulders

 

[jmt57]

A peek at what they are saying about this game in Houston:

http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexan...ng-back-will-get-bulk-of-carries-vs-patriots/

Without the injured Arian Foster, the Texans have no choice but to turn to a running-back-by-committee approach to moving the football on the ground. To date, Alfred Blue has been given the best opportunity to fill Foster’s huge shoes, with decidedly mixed results. In five of his nine starts, he has gained fewer than three yards per carry, earning the nickname Alfred Two.

In the Buffalo loss, however, coach Bill O’Brien’s patience with Blue appeared to finally be waning and he went the hotter hand – or two legs – in the person of Chris Polk, who carried 12 times for 61 yards, both personal NFL bests.​

Texans injury report: DeAndre Hopkins has minor hamstring ailment - Ultimate Texans

Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was added to the injury report Friday as limited with a hamstring injury. Hopkins is expected to have his usual role Sunday night against the New England Patriots.

Meanwhile, star defensive end J.J. Watt didn’t practice the past two days due to a broken left hand, but that didn’t change the way he’s designated on the injury report.

Watt is listed as probable, as are 15 other Texans players.

Wide receiver Cecil Shorts (hamstring) was upgraded to full participation after being limited Thursday.

Offensive tackle Derek Newton (elbow, knee) was upgraded to full participation.​

Texans prepping for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s quick release - Ultimate Texans

New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady is known for many things, most notably his decisiveness in the form of a quick release that allows him to catch defenses off guard and unable to react in time as he fires the football out of his right hand.

It’s a strategy Brady is likely to employ Sunday night against the Texans at NRG Stadium as he competes with a defense headlined by defensive end J.J. Watt, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year who leads the NFL with 13 1/2 sacks.

“Yeah, I mean Tom is obviously one of the best to ever do it, so he has a great command of his offense,” Watt said. “He’s been doing it for a very long time. He’s a very smart player. He knows that offense inside and out, so he knows where he’s going to put the ball, and he’s going to put it on his receivers fast because he knows he wants to get it out of his hands quick.

“You’re not going to get a ton of opportunities for him to hold the ball for a long time and we know that. Everybody knows that. You just have to do your best to make sure you get your hands up and things like that, because he does get the ball out very quickly.”

Brady also will try to get the ball out of because of necessity. The Texans’ pass rush dictates that and how vulnerable the injury-riddled Patriots offensive line has been. Brady has been sacked 29 times this season, seven times over the past two games in consecutive losses to the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles. He’s been hit 32 times in the past three games.​

http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexan...-jones-stands-out-as-pass-rusher-among-peers/

Strong, fast and quick, New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones is one of the top pass rushers in the game.

Jones leads the Patriots with 10 1/2 sacks, headlining a defense that includes gritty defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who has 5 1/2 sacks and 13 quarterback hits, versatile, athletic linebacker Jamie Collins, who has 4 1/2 sacks, along with defensive end Jabaal Sheard’s four sacks and 3 1/2 from linebacker Dont’a Hightower.

The Texans’ offensive line will have their hands full against a Patriots defense that has 36 sacks.

“Playmakers is exactly right,” Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey said. “It’s not just them, the defensive backs are playmakers. Rob Ninkovich has been a playmaker for a long career. They’ve got new players there, inside that are being productive.

“They’re a team defensively that has had some injuries but they’ve overcome them, too. It’s always the guys that have the stats you’re going to account for, at least kind of know where they’re at each play, but there’s a lot of them on that defense that we’re going to have to account for.”​

Texans’ Brandon Brooks set to return Sunday after dealing with illness - Ultimate Texans

Texans starting right offensive guard Brandon Brooks is set to return Sunday night against the New England Patriots after being sidelined against the Buffalo Bills due to extreme nausea and sweating that hospitalized him.

“I feel good,” Brooks said. “I’m ready to go.”

Brooks has felt much better since being released from the emergency room Monday and flying back to Houston, but acknowledged it was a scary experience. Tests are being conducted to determine if it was the stomach ulcers he’s dealt with in the past. Brooks said he lost roughly 10 pounds, initially, before gaining it back.

“I didn’t see it coming, it hit me full-force,” said Brooks, who said food poisoning was ruled out. “Annoying because it’s happened before and you know what you’re getting ready to go through, scary, at the same time, because although you go through it each time, you don’t know how severe it’s going to be each time. Nausea, chills, constant vomiting.

“When they went in with the camera, the ulcer itself was healed. I don’t want to rule it out. I don’t know initially what it is and when it’s coming. I can’t pinpoint a couple of days before, so hopefully we can figure out what it is and take care of it.”

Brooks and the Texans’ other interior offensive linemen, center Ben Jones and guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, have a tough assignment this week against Patriots defensive tackles Malcom Brown, a first-round draft pick from the University of Texas, and Alan Branch. Brown, 6-2, 320 pounds, has three sacks and 33 tackles. Branch is massive, at 6-6, 350 pounds and has played better in recent weeks.​

John McClain’s guide to Texans vs. Patriots - Ultimate Texans

Texans-Patriots Preview: Five Things To Watch

The Film Room: Chandler Jones and the Patriots' Defensive Versatility

 

[Gronkowski123]

lots of injuries today..players dropping left and right.
hope none of our guys go down. cant afford anymore losses

 

[jmt57]

Houston Texans Depth Chart


Final Injury Report

New England Patriots

OUT
WR Julian Edelman (LP) Foot

QUESTIONABLE
WR Danny Amendola (LP) Knee
TE Scott Chandler (LP) Knee
S Patrick Chung (LP) Foot
CB Justin Coleman (LP) Hand
TE Rob Gronkowski (LP) Knee
LB Dont'a Hightower (LP) Knee
OL Josh Kline (LP) Shoulder
WR Matthew Slater (LP) Stinger

PROBABLE
OL Marcus Cannon (FP) Toe
DE Chandler Jones (FP) Abdomen
S Devin McCourty (FP) Shoulder
TE Michael Williams (FP) Knee


Houston Texans

PROBABLE
RB Alfred Blue - Back (FP)
G Brandon Brooks - Illness/Toe (FP)
T Duane Brown - Knee (FP)
ILB Max Bullough - Shoulder (FP)
OLB Jadeveon Clowney - Hamstring (FP)
NT Christian Covington - Knee (FP)
WR DeAndre Hopkins - Hamstring (LP)
CB Kareem Jackson - Ankle (FP)
CB Charles James - Calf (FP)
C Ben Jones - Hip (FP)
CB Johnathan Joseph - Knee (FP)
OLB Whitney Mercilus - Back (FP)
T Derek Newton - Albow/Knee (FP)
RB Chris Polk - Knee (FP)
WR Cecil Shorts III - Hamstring (FP)
DE J.J. Watt - Groin/Hand (DNP)

 

[sevengables_2207]

Looks like the team is trending in the right direction on the injury front.

Moreover, with the injury to Andy (Mr. Integrity) Dalton, the next two games are a prime opportunity to snatch two wins and position for a first round bye before the divisional games against the Jests and LOLphins...

 

[PatriotsInGA]

So a definite 3 out with Edelman, Kline, and Hightower. Any guesses on the other 4?

I could see Coleman, Richards, Cleveland, and someone like Bostic being inactive

 

[Mack Herron]

Cleveland will be active if we want a healthy TE.

 

[Todd Bradley]

Bostic has been an invisible man since that trade.

Basically been a non-factor with Freeny coming on strong.

 

[Gwedd]

I hated rooting for Pittsburgh today, but their win dropped Cincy to the 3 seed, with Denver at #1 currently, and New England at the #2 position. So here's hoping for a Patriots win tonight, and no more injuries to the New England roster, other than the normal in-game wear & tear.

GO PATRIOTS!

 

[SVN]

Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 5m5 minutes ago
Hello from NRG Stadium. One of those ants on the field is Mike Vrabel.

Mike Reiss ‏@MikeReiss 3m3 minutes ago
Scene-setter: As Tom Brady arrived at NRG Stadium, he stopped on the field to chat with Mike Vrabel, former teammate and now Texans LB coach

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

Lets go Oakland

 

[Off The Grid]

17 Point Spread is what I sense...I'm feeling a 27-10 win in the Air.

 

[TeamFirst]

Bryan Stork's biggest challenge of his career comes today against Vince Wilfork. They practiced all last year against one another.

..

You mean 6 solo tackles Vince Wilfork? That is most definitely the match up of the century.

 

[DaBruinz]

Bryan Stork's biggest challenge of his career comes today against Vince Wilfork. They practiced all last year against one another.

..

You mean 6 solo tackles Vince Wilfork? That is most definitely the match up of the century.[/QUOTE]

WOW. Great ignorance there. You clearly haven't watched a single Texans snap, let alone game this year. Furthermore, you should know that Wilfork's presence demands attention. Period. Not to mention that him drawing Stork's attention opens the way for Stunts from Watt up the middle. Something that the Patriots have been notoriously bad at picking up.

My god. You act like Wilfork is some chump JAG..

 

[DaBruinz]

Not sure about that....

Name a NT he's gone against who has been tougher?

 

[Mack Herron]

Per Howe

No sign of Chung yet, which is odd.