The Texans’ game against the Patriots was always going to be a tough one, as the Patriots have once again proven themselves as one of the top teams in the AFC. Houston fell to New England on Sunday night, 27-6, dropping the Texans to 6-7 on the season. So what can we take away from this game?
Pick 1: Help Within The Division
One of the good things that came out of Sunday was that the Texans’ game against the Patriots wasn’t a must-win thanks to the division-rival Jaguars. Jacksonville took on Indianapolis in the early-game slot and promptly demolished the Colts, 51-16.
With the loss, the Colts were already 6-7 before the Texans stepped on the field in Houston. A win over the Patriots would’ve been nice, but both teams being 6-7 means that the Texans still control their own destiny in the division. Their final three games are all against teams within the division, making the formula very simple: win the final three games, and the Texans are AFC South champs.
Pick 2: Hoyer Concussed Again
Late in the game, Brian Hoyer took a hit that knocked him out of the game, and possibly out of the next game against the Colts with a 
concussion. Since Hoyer has suffered multiple concussions this season, the NFL is going to be incredibly tentative about letting him back on the field after just one week, so prepare to see TJ Yates.
Fortunately for the Texans, the Colts are dealing with some quarterback health issues of their own. Andrew Luck has been out for just over a month with a lacerated kidney, and even though he wants to try to practice this week, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be good to go the rest of this season, let alone Sunday. Matt Hasselbeck went down late in the game against Jacksonville with a rib injury that has him in a sling today, but the banged up 40-year-old is anticipated to start Sunday. If he can’t, it’ll be the man who was somehow once voted one of Nashville’s top-50 most attractive men, Charlie Whitehurst.
Pick 3: Newton’s First Law of Offensive Line
I hope we all know Sir Issac Newton’s first law of motion by this point. Well, Texans right 
tackle Derek Newton seemed to create his own law of motion allowed by the offensive line against the Patriots. According to Derek Newton, a defender in motion towards the quarterback will stay in motion and pummel said quarterback without any resistance.
Newton was a swinging gate on the right side of the line all night, and while not all of the five sacks Hoyer took can be attributed to Newton, some of the biggest ones in the game can. Even if he wasn’t getting sacked, there were a number of plays where Hoyer didn’t have a chance because one or more defenders were there about two seconds after the snap. This is an offensive line that has dealt with injuries all season, but they need to provide some help for their quarterback. This is going to be a long week of film review for Newton and the offensive line.
Pick 4: Stubborn Play Calling
I think George Godsey listened to people praising his play calling against the Saints too much. Everyone, myself included, was a fan of the wildcat formation that was implemented against the Saints, but it is worth noting that just about any offense will work against the Saints.
But there is something to be said for recognizing when something just isn’t working. The wildcat wasn’t working against the Patriots, and Godsey seemingly didn’t recognize it at all. Houston’s play calling has come into question this season, and part of it has to do with the stubbornness of the play calling. The Texans offense seemed either unwilling or unable to adjust to what they were seeing from the Patriots defense.
Pick 5: Not So Special Teams
After last week’s loss to the Bills, the special teams unit was in much need of improvement. They didn’t improve. You can’t allow Tom Brady to have a short field to work with, no matter how good your defense is.
Former Texan Keshawn Martin was able to return four of Shane Lechler’s seven punts, with an average of just over 11 yards per return. Of the seven punting situations the Texans were in, they were only able to pin the Patriots inside the 20 once. The biggest challenge for the Texans once again is to improve their special teams play before their big matchup against the Colts.
Pick 6: Offensive Woes
The Texans offense was only able to manage 189 yards of total offense, and seven first downs against the Patriots on Sunday. Oh, and one of those seven first downs came on a Patriots penalty. Part 
of that is due to the fact that the Texans lost 57 yards on six sacks, which can be attributed both to the offensive line and to the quarterbacks holding on to the ball too long.
New England’s defense is better this season than people give them credit for, but Houston’s poor offensive effort made that defense look far better than they are. Houston’s defense almost never had a chance to rest up, since the offense was only able to earn seven first downs on 13 drives.
The one silver lining for Houston’s offense came from Jonathan Grimes. Grimes picked up 53 yards on the ground on just seven carries. He runs with quickness and intensity, and if the Texans are smart, they’ll continue upping the amount of touches Grimes gets each game.
