Patriots Win: Instant Reaction To The Pats Beatdown On The Texans

If CJ Stroud was a pumpkin last Monday against Pittsburgh, tonight he was a deformed gourd.

Holy hell that was a beatdown. CJ was a lost boy in Neverland, throwing footballs into the sky like he had no inkling of responsibility in his life. His four interceptions were conservatively half of what he could've/should've thrown in this game. While Drake Maye was holding onto the ball with butter mittens on the other side, CJ could care less, forgetting that he was the road team as he repeatedly threw the ball to navy blue jerseys.

It was frankly one of the ugliest games of football I've watched all season. Each offense was throwing up on themselves in what seemed to turn into a competition of who could more, and midway through the third quarter there were eight total turnovers (not including two Drake Maye fumbles that were recovered by NE).

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The offense, as expected, struggled for most of the day.

Poor Will Campbell got beat seemingly every time he was put on Anderson Island. Three step drops and a bounce was too long to hold the ball, as Drake was stripped on that exact sequence by, of course, Will Anderson.

That fumble isn't on Drake; you need to be given time to make that very much on time throw. The others, though, do fall on 10. The broken play scramble, the Danielle Hunter strip sack that almost turned to a Houston TD, and the one before half (also Will Anderson, also on Will Campbell).

The defense turned over CJ Stroud more times than an apple in the fall, yet the offense couldn't take advantage. On the Texans five turnovers, the Patriots scored just 7 points - from the pick six scored by the defense. They had more turnovers themselves following those five turnovers than they did first downs (2 vs. 0).

The offense picked up one cumulative first down on their nine non-TD scoring drives through three quarters. They were as lost as Houston for much of the game.

But it didn't matter, cause the defense was that good.

This is the second straight week the Patriots defense has played like, well, the Texans defense. Five turnovers, under 250 total yards, and a defensive TD to follow up a 3-point outing last week. Those boys are feeling themselves.

Chaisson was an animal today as he's been all year. Milton Williams was too, as he was the shit-stirrer on a few plays that didn't result in any box score stats, such as the pick-six that flipped the game.

I'm plagiarizing Troy Aikman on the analysis, but Milton blows this play up. The TE coming across is supposed to block Chaisson, but Milton's bullrush knocks the O lineman off his socks and into the TE, freeing up Chaisson to rush Stroud untouched. Chaisson and Marcus Jones get all the credit, but that play happens because of Milton Williams.

I don't care that Justin Herbert was playing behind a blundering offensive line. I don't care that CJ Stroud was playing without his WR1 and TE1 for most of this game. It certainly helps, but in no way makes it a certainty to play some of the most smothering postseason defense the NFL has seen in a decade.

We now get a backup QB in Jarrett Stidham next week, who must be shaking in his boots after watching this game today. Bo Nix would've been too if it was him lacing up next week. As I said after the Chargers game, if this defense plays like this, it's going to be real tough to envision us not lifting the Lombardi. Three turnovers on offense today wasn't even close to being enough to tilt the tides.

Speaking of, I love how for the second straight week the offense came up with a sleeper hold, put-the-game-away drive as soon as the fourth quarter began. They may not be firing on all cylinders. They may be riding the coattails of the defense for most of these games. But when it's time to put the game to rest, they've stepped up and done it. Six-plays, 71 yards that was capped off with a deja vu moment from Drake's first NFL TD pass, although this catch by Boutte was world class.

That catch was so awesome, especially since it backed up all the shit Kayshon was talking this week.

Talk your shit KB. Talk it all the way to Denver. We'll see you next week, back where we belong.