From WalterFootball.com (bolding the part that stood out to me):
WalterFootball.com: NFL Power Rankings, Top Fantasy Performers, Defensive Rankings
1. New England Patriots (10-3) - Previously: #2 - Here's a recap of Patriots 42, Texans 14:
- The Texans called this their biggest game in franchise history. So much for that. They certainly played like it early though.
They had a 12-yard Arian Foster on the first play of scrimmage, but it was wiped out by a mysterious illegal formation. Undaunted, Foster gained 15 yards on the next play, and then New England had to call a timeout because it had 12 men on the field. The Patriots looked unprepared at that point, and it certainly appeared as though Houston would dominate this game.
But then the complete opposite happened. Tom Brady scored touchdowns on his first three possessions, while the defense limited Houston's first-string offense to just seven points. The Texans didn't even get on the board until midway through the third quarter, but by then, it was already 28-7 New England.
- The Patriots tallied 419 net yards of offense, but as Brady told ESPN's crew off-camera, his team left some points on the board. Brady, who went 21-of-35 for 296 yards and four touchdowns, was errant on a handful of passes. For instance, he completely missed a wide-open Matt Slater for a score. He also went cold in the latter stages of the second quarter and uncharacteristically couldn't do anything in the 2-minute drill.
- Two of Brady's touchdowns went to Aaron Hernandez (8-58), who had a clutch fumble recovery in the red zone when Stevan Ridley coughed the ball up. The other scores went to Brandon Lloyd (7-89), who stepped up in the wake of Julian Edelman's absence, and Donte Stallworth (1-63), who was recently signed. Lloyd found the end zone on a second occasion when he recovered a Danny Woodhead fumble that was forced by J.J. Watt. Wes Welker (3-52) disappointed his fantasy owners.
- The Patriots ran the ball well, but they didn't seem to do enough of it. Ridley (18-72, TD) and Shane Vereen (8-40) were both very effective.
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Remember that aforementioned 15-yard Foster burst? Well, he had just 31 rushing yards after that. He finished with 46 yards on 15 carries, though he salvaged his fantasy day with a third-quarter touchdown. New England's defense did a terrific job of putting the clamps on him. Vince Wilfork, who hasn't enjoyed a good year by his standards, made tons of great plays.
- Matt Schaub was a mediocre 19-of-32 for 232 yards and an interception in the end zone where he forced the ball into double coverage. Schaub had some ugly misfires, though he did have to endure a key drop by Kevin Walter on a fourth down.
- The only Texans with more than two receptions were Foster (4-39) and Andre Johnson (8-95).
- This was a very impressive victory by the Patriots. It vaults them to the top of my power rankings. The Texans, meanwhile, drop to No. 3. The last time they lost like this, they were blown out in similar fashion, and they proceeded to beat the crap out of their next opponent. We'll see if they do that to the Colts on Sunday.
