{"id":3492,"date":"2015-12-10T06:36:01","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T11:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=3492"},"modified":"2015-12-10T06:36:01","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T11:36:01","slug":"patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots – Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> head out on the road to face the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football. The game was originally slated for 4:25 p.m. but was flexed by the league into the primetime slot.<\/p>\n

The game will be televised by NBC with their top announcing crew of Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth on the call. The game will also be on the Patriots flagship radio station 98.5 The SportsHub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call. Kickoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n

The Patriots (10-2) lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 35-28 at home for their second consecutive loss, the first time that\u2019s happened since 2012. Tom Brady threw two picks including a 99-yard pick six as the special teams units allowed a punt to blocked and returned for a touchdown seconds before the first half ended and as well as an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by Darren Sproles.<\/p>\n

The Texans (6-6) lost to the Buffalo Bills 30-21 breaking a four-game winning streak as the Bills ran for 182 yards. Houston is still in the thick of the race for either a Wild Card or the AFC South Divisional Crown.<\/p>\n

We here at\u00a0PatsFans.com<\/a>\u00a0are continuing our \u00a0\u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 column in 2015 to give a quick break down on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.<\/p>\n

Series History:<\/strong>
\nThe Patriots and Texans will meet for only the seventh time overall as Houston just entered the league 14 years ago. The Patriots hold a 5-1 overall edge including a playoff game in January 2013 and the last three in a row. This will be the fourth meeting between the teams in Houston where the Patriots hold a 2-1 advantage.<\/p>\n

The last meeting between the teams was in November of 2013 with the Patriots taking a 34-31 win in Houston.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge.<\/p>\n

First up is the Patriots offense: <\/p>\n

Patriots RBs vs Texans Front Seven – <\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge Houston
\n<\/em>The Patriots running game seemed to be getting on track early in last week\u2019s game against Philly but the coaching staff abandoned the run much too soon. Once the the third quarter meltdown was complete, they had to throw in an attempt to get back into the game.<\/p>\n

LaGarrette Blount, James White and Brandon Bolden have had very little room to run this season, as injuries and a constant shuffling of the offensive line continues into the fourth quarter of the season. The Pats rank near the bottom of the league in rushing attempts and yardage, averaging just 88.5 yards per game.<\/p>\n

The Texans were outstanding at defending the run during their four-game winning streak before last week\u2019s hiccup in Buffalo. J.J. Watt, Vince Wilfork and Jared Crick are the down three linemen and their inside backers Benadrick McKinney and Brian Cushing are downhill run stuffers.<\/p>\n

There will be some cutback lanes to run in and if the Patriots look at the tape, the Bills ran at Watt rather than away from him, taking advantage of his aggressiveness and were able to trap him inside on a few nice runs by Shady McCoy. But the question remains, will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?<\/p>\n

Patriots WRs vs Texans Secondary – <\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Patriots passing game has hit the wall with injuries and it was evident. Missing Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski is taking its toll on the offense in general and Brady in particular. The receivers aren\u2019t getting open and its forcing Brady to hold the ball for longer periods of time. That is resulting in the hits he\u2019s taking (36 in the last three games).<\/p>\n

They did get Danny Amendola back last week and he\u2019ll be leaned upon heavily in the slot, trying to be the hot route outlet for Brady and keep the chains moving. Neither Edelman and Gronk will play so Scott Chandler and Brandon LaFell will have to step up their game this week.<\/p>\n

Houston has a trio of pass rushers that can get after the quarterback in Watt, who is having another outstanding season, Whitney Mercilus and Jadaveon Clowney. Clowney is finally healthy and he\u2019s heating up for the Texans. Their corners (Jonathan Joseph, Kevin Johnson and Kareem Jackson), are playing much more aggressive now and that\u2019s a big reason why the Texans pass defense is now ranked 3rd<\/sup> in the league.<\/p>\n

Andre Hal and Quentin Demps are the safeties now, since they\u2019ve sat Rahim Moore they\u2019re playing much better.<\/p>\n

Romeo Crennel has built this defense much like the Patriots defenses he coached here in the 2003-2004 timeframe. They\u2019re big, tough and physical but they lack a little bit of overall team speed. During their four-game win streak, the Texans allowed only 8.8 points and 250.5 yards per game. They notched 16 sacks and were allowing only a 21.2 third down percentage. How successful the Pats patchwork offensive line is at keeping the pressure off of Tom Brady will go a long way in determining who wins this game.<\/p>\n

Next up the Houston offense: <\/p>\n

Texans RBs vs NE Front Seven –\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Texans and head coach Bill O\u2019Brien are using a true running back by committee since Arian Foster went down with a season-ending injury. Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes and Chris Polk are all sharing the load for the offense. Offensive coordinator and former Pats TE coach George Godsey has stated that Grimes and Polk will be used more down the stretch as they try to keep fresh legs in the game.<\/p>\n

Houston hasn\u2019t been running the ball as well as they want given the Foster injury at 100.1 yards per game. But they do run the occasional Wildcat, direct snap to the backs and the Jet sweep all in an effort to spring the running game into gear.<\/p>\n

The Patriots run defense misses Dont\u2019a Hightower in the running game but did get a boost with Jamie Collins returning last week. The front four have been very stout against the run, especially Alan Branch who\u2019s been playing some of his best football in recent weeks. If Hightower can go Sunday, it will be a huge boost for the run defense.<\/p>\n

Texans WRs vs NE Secondary- <\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>Brian Hoyer has solidified things at QB for the Texans. Since they jettisoned Ryan Mallett, the offense has gotten steadily better each week. He\u2019s thrown 18 touchdowns against just six interceptions and has a very good passer rating at 94.4.<\/p>\n

His biggest target is their 3rd<\/sup> year WR DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins, 6\u20191, 218, is rapidly becoming one of the more exciting players to watch. He\u2019s caught 86 passes for 1169 yards for a excellent 13.6 yard average with 10 touchdowns. He\u2019ll draw Malcolm Butler with over-the-top safety help. He\u2019s been targeted 153 times this season, second only to Julio Jones of the Falcoms and has had five (5), 100-yard games this season.<\/p>\n

Cecil Shorts III and Nate Washington are the other wideouts for Houston and they\u2019re good complimentary players who can step up when needed. But the focus is on and should on slowing down Hopkins.<\/p>\n

For the Patriots, the key this week is getting pressure on Hoyer something they did not do last week against Philadelphia. Edge rushers Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard will have to push the pocket and try to force some mistakes and getting Hoyer to get rid of the ball early.<\/p>\n

One wildcard to watch is Texans tight end Ryan Griffin; the third year TE from UConn had a big game against the Bills last week. The Texans were hitting the seams and the soft spots in the zone with him and he could be an X-Factor this week.<\/p>\n

Special Teams- <\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Patriots still have one of the best special teams units in the league despite their struggles the past two weeks. \u00a0The Pats boast an outstanding pair of kickers in Stephen Gostkowski and Ryan Allen. Allen has a 45.5 yard punting average with just two touchbacks on the year. Their coverage units are strong although the return game could use a shot in the arm.<\/p>\n

The Texans special teams unit isn\u2019t one of the team strengths; Nick Novak took over the kicking duties from Randy Bullock early in the season and has been good but did miss an extra point last week in Buffalo. Shane Lechler has an outstanding punting average of 47.0 yards per punt but their coverage units are only so-so. This is an area that the Patriots can get back on track this week\u2026especially after the uncharacteristic breakdowns the past two weeks.<\/p>\n

Next up, who wins and why\u2026 <\/p>\n

Prediction:
\n<\/strong>This one should be a dogfight on national television between two teams that know each other well. One look across the sideline and seeing Head Coach Bill O\u2019Brien, and coordinators Romeo Crennel and George Godsey as well as LB\u2019s coach Mike Vrabel, you see all men who either coached or played under Belichick here in New England. QB Brian Hoyer was Brady’s backup for three years and Wilfork anchored the defensive line for more than a decade. So it\u2019s no surprise to see they do things in much the same manner as Belichick does.<\/p>\n

The Patriots should hold serve here and get back on the winning track. They\u2019re a better team overall than the Texans, despite being really short-handed offensively. They\u2019ll have to account for Watt, the Texans move him all over the line wherever they feel their best matchup is for him to take advantage of.<\/p>\n

The defense would really get a boost if Hightower can go this week. He\u2019s disruptive in both the running game and blitzing up the A-gap. But this all falls to Brady, can he do enough with limited weapons to improve to 11-2 on the season? One way would be to get James White more involved with the offense, both running and passing. It would ease the pressure on the receivers to have to get open on every down, which they\u2019ve struggle with.<\/p>\n

In the end, Brady and the Patriots grind out a very tough fought, hard earned win.
\nPatriots 27-21<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10],"tags":[185,34,279,132,661,37,18,665,662,278,660,16,17,24,15,664,44,70,8,38,248,117,36,663,13,166],"class_list":["post-3492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-news","tag-2015-nfl-season","tag-bill-belichick","tag-bill-obrien","tag-brandon-lafell","tag-brian-hoyer","tag-chandler-jones","tag-danny-amendola","tag-deandre-hopkins","tag-george-godsey","tag-houston-texans","tag-j-j-watt","tag-jabaal-sheard","tag-julian-edelman","tag-lagarrette-blount","tag-malcolm-butler","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-edge-rushers","tag-predictions","tag-rob-gronkowski","tag-rob-ninkovich","tag-romeo-crennel","tag-tom-brady","tag-vince-wilfork"],"yoast_head":"\nPatriots - Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor's Edge?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patriots - Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor's Edge? | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-12-10T11:36:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg?fit=1145%2C640&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1145\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Balestrieri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SteveB7SFG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Steve Balestrieri\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da\"},\"headline\":\"Patriots – Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-10T11:36:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1790,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2015 NFL Season\",\"Bill Belichick\",\"Bill O'Brien\",\"Brandon LaFell\",\"Brian Hoyer\",\"Chandler Jones\",\"Danny Amendola\",\"DeAndre Hopkins\",\"George Godsey\",\"Houston Texans\",\"J.J. Watt\",\"Jabaal Sheard\",\"Julian Edelman\",\"LaGarrette Blount\",\"Malcolm Butler\",\"Mike Vrabel\",\"New England Patriots\",\"NFL\",\"Patriots\",\"Patriots edge rushers\",\"predictions\",\"Rob Gronkowski\",\"Rob Ninkovich\",\"Romeo Crennel\",\"Tom Brady\",\"Vince Wilfork\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Patriots Commentary\",\"Patriots News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\",\"name\":\"Patriots - Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor's Edge?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-10T11:36:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"Will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg\",\"width\":1145,\"height\":640,\"caption\":\"Chris Humphreys - USA TODAY Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/10\\\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Patriots Commentary\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"description\":\"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"PatsFans.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/patsfans\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@patsfans.official\"],\"foundingDate\":\"2000-06-17\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da\",\"name\":\"Steve Balestrieri\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Steve Balestrieri\"},\"description\":\"A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/steve.balestrieri\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SteveB7SFG\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/sbalestrieri\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Patriots - Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor's Edge?","description":"Will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","next":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Patriots - Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor's Edge? | PatsFans.com","og_description":"Will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri","article_published_time":"2015-12-10T11:36:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1145,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg?fit=1145%2C640&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Balestrieri","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SteveB7SFG","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/"},"author":{"name":"Steve Balestrieri","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da"},"headline":"Patriots – Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?","datePublished":"2015-12-10T11:36:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/"},"wordCount":1790,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg","keywords":["2015 NFL Season","Bill Belichick","Bill O'Brien","Brandon LaFell","Brian Hoyer","Chandler Jones","Danny Amendola","DeAndre Hopkins","George Godsey","Houston Texans","J.J. Watt","Jabaal Sheard","Julian Edelman","LaGarrette Blount","Malcolm Butler","Mike Vrabel","New England Patriots","NFL","Patriots","Patriots edge rushers","predictions","Rob Gronkowski","Rob Ninkovich","Romeo Crennel","Tom Brady","Vince Wilfork"],"articleSection":["Patriots Commentary","Patriots News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","name":"Patriots - Texans, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor's Edge?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg","datePublished":"2015-12-10T11:36:01+00:00","description":"Will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg","width":1145,"height":640,"caption":"Chris Humphreys - USA TODAY Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/patriots-texans-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patriots Commentary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","name":"PatsFans.com","description":"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization","name":"PatsFans.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"PatsFans.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","https:\/\/x.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/patsfans\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patsfans.official"],"foundingDate":"2000-06-17"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da","name":"Steve Balestrieri","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Steve Balestrieri"},"description":"A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri","https:\/\/x.com\/SteveB7SFG"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/sbalestrieri\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-Tom-Brady-Action-SAalIkTx.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3492"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3493,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3492\/revisions\/3493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}