Riding a two-game win streak, the New England Patriots came out slow Sunday afternoon and dropped a crucial game to the Houston Texans. After an impressive defensive showing last week against the Ravens, Deshaun Watson repeatedly torched New England’s secondary, finishing with 380 total yards and three touchdowns. Cam Newton and the Patriots had a chance to tie the game with less than a minute left but came up short yet again.
The Patriots came out strong, establishing the run on their first drive that ended in a 9-yard Damien Harris touchdown. Houston responded, marching down the field in six plays to tie the game at 7-7.
The Patriots broke the tie with 8:32 left in the second quarter, but it was all Texans from there. Deshaun Watson scored twice — once on the ground, and once through the air to KeKe Coutee on a 6-yard pass at the end of the half — resulting in a 21-10 Houston lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, New England struck first, as Cam Newton found Damiere Byrd on a 42-yard deep strike to draw the Patriots within four. A 36-yard Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal stretched Houston’s lead to 24-17 entering the fourth quarter.
The final quarter was dominated by defensive stops. With 7:39 left in the game, Nick Folk hit a 36-yard field goal, but Fairbairn matched him on the subsequent drive, keeping the Texans’ lead at seven with 4:11 left in the game. Newton and the Patriots methodically marched down the field, but Houston’s defense made a stand on their own 24-yard-line, forcing a Newton incompletion on 4th and 4. The Patriots would get the ball back once more with nine seconds left, but Newton’s last-second hail mary came up short.
Highlights
Untouched into the end zone! @DHx34 | #GoPats
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/SWWAN8H1AQ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 22, 2020
💪D💪W💪4💪
📺: CBS
📱: https://t.co/Nm64mQkAPf pic.twitter.com/pJ0vTcFweS— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 22, 2020
Needed it. Got it. 🎯
📺: CBS
📱: https://t.co/Nm64mQkAPf pic.twitter.com/QaxLTuPO9i— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 22, 2020
What a catch by @LookIn_Da_Miere!
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/qIn7o7jp6k
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 22, 2020
The Texans advance to 3-7, while New England drops to 4-6. After two wins over the Jets and Ravens, many expected the Patriots to dominate Houston and move back to .500. Instead, Cam Newton and company were unable to match Deshaun Watson’s firepower, making New England’s playoff prospects much more difficult to reach. Looking ahead to next week, Houston will take on the Lions — who were just shut out by Carolina — and New England will face the Cardinals in a must-win matchup.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
