Shutout- Getting a shutout in an NFL game doesn't happen very often. Thursday's shutout was the first by a Patriots' defense since 2012. Moreover, it was the first time in 13 years that the Texans failed to score.
Long Plays- Not known for their long offensive plays, the Patriots had 7 plays over ten yards. LeGarrette Blount had the longest play of the day with his 41 yard touchdown run. New England had 4 plays longer than the Texans' longest.
Starting Territory- Field position was dominated by the Patriots. The Patriots average starting position was on their own 40 yard line, while the Texans started on their own 16 yard line. The Patriots actually had five possessions which started in Houston territory while Houston had six starting possessions inside their own 20 yard line.
Besides having bad starting field position, the Houston offense never helped themselves out. It took them until late in the third quarter to even get off a play from the Patriots' half of the field.
Starting Territory- Field position was dominated by the Patriots. The Patriots average starting position was on their own 40 yard line, while the Texans started on their own 16 yard line. The Patriots actually had five possessions which started in Houston territory while Houston had six starting possessions inside their own 20 yard line.
Besides having bad starting field position, the Houston offense never helped themselves out. It took them until late in the third quarter to even get off a play from the Patriots' half of the field.
Turnovers- A lot of that awesome field position the Patriots had did come from turnovers. With 2 forced fumbles on kickoff returns the Patriots special teams unit hooked up the offense with starts on the Houston 21st and 22nd yard lines respectively.
Texans Tackling- J.J. Watt had 0 tackles and 2 assists. Clowney had 1 tackle and 1 assist. With the help of the Patriots plan of running it up the middle, Wilfork had 2 tackles and 5 assists. As a team Houston only managed one tackle for a loss all game.
Timeouts- While those stats may impress you, I've left the most impressive stat for last. In my pregame post I stated the importance of the defense and special teams units not wasting timeouts that Jacoby Brissett would likely need. Well, the Patriots played the full 60 without using any timeouts. While it didn't end up having any huge consequences, Bill O'Brien made some terrible timeout calls from the opposite sidelines.
Texans Tackling- J.J. Watt had 0 tackles and 2 assists. Clowney had 1 tackle and 1 assist. With the help of the Patriots plan of running it up the middle, Wilfork had 2 tackles and 5 assists. As a team Houston only managed one tackle for a loss all game.
Timeouts- While those stats may impress you, I've left the most impressive stat for last. In my pregame post I stated the importance of the defense and special teams units not wasting timeouts that Jacoby Brissett would likely need. Well, the Patriots played the full 60 without using any timeouts. While it didn't end up having any huge consequences, Bill O'Brien made some terrible timeout calls from the opposite sidelines.
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