Texas Texans Week

DJnVa · Dec 10, 2015

Just like last week, it hinges on exactly how you think the Texans will be able score. There's no way they're getting 21 points out of defense/ST like Philly did. Can they get 21 on their own?

Butler on Hopkins is the key. If he can do what we think he can and minimize that (within reason, Hopkins is a stud) then I think the Pats can score 20-25 and win it something like 24-13.

RedOctober3829 · Dec 10, 2015

OL better figure out how to block not only Watt but Clowney, Mercilus, and the rest of the front seven. When this unit turned it around is when Houston's defense turned around. They were playing great football over the past month before last week in Buffalo. Old friend Vince Wilfork is coming off his best game of the season last week in Buffalo. Their secondary isn't great, but neither are our WR's and TE's. It will yet again be a close game with turnovers being the key to the game. Same as it ever has been since the injuries started: if the Patriots don't turn the ball over they'll win. If not, then they will lose. Sounds very simplistic but it's the truth. The margin for error is gone for this team.

A matchup I am excited to see is Chandler Jones vs. Duane Brown. Jones is 2nd among 4-3 ends with 50 QBP's. I think if Hightower is in there, then our front 7 can stop their run pretty effectively as the Texans OL really struggled running the football against the Bills. Butler has another tough assignment on DeAndre Hopkins.

Offensively, they NEED to run the football more this week. Buffalo gained 187 yards on the ground last week. James White needs to be more involved in the running game running the stretch plays. Blount can't be running anywhere outside of the guard spots. McD needs to look at his personnel and tailor the game plan to the players he has. They simply don't have the personnel to spread it out and throw it 50 times and expect to win. Go with heavy 2 TE personnel and run the football then work the passing game off of play action. Oh, and throw the fly pattern to LaFell out the window.

soxhop411 · Dec 10, 2015

Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 41s41 seconds ago
Hightower's left leg/knee is heavily wrapped.

soxhop411 · Dec 10, 2015

Deepi Sidhu ‏@DeepSlant 6m6 minutes ago
J.J. Watt was at practice with a cast on his left hand. Did not participate, was on the side field with trainers. #Texans

RedOctober3829 · Dec 10, 2015

RedOctober3829 · Dec 10, 2015

brandonchristensen · Dec 10, 2015

JJ hurt his hand AND his groin

DaveRoberts'Shoes · Dec 10, 2015

brandonchristensen said:
JJ hurt his hand AND his groin

Not unrelated

WalletTrack · Dec 10, 2015

Are we strong?
This is the last Patriot lost.
Broken hand or no...JJ comes to hurt the offense.
Let the Pats come out healthy.

NickEsasky · Dec 11, 2015

That Haiku is not in the correct format.

joe dokes · Dec 11, 2015

JJ hurt his hand AND his groin

DaveRoberts'Shoes said:
Not unrelated

Is that a diagnosis?

soxfan121 · Dec 11, 2015

joe dokes said:
Is that a diagnosis?

Did you pay $10?

jsinger121 · Dec 11, 2015

11 back at practice

TheoShmeo · Dec 11, 2015

That's crazy, yo.

It would be surprising to see Julian back before the playoffs but if he's at practice in Week 14 and they need to win a game in order to get/keep a bye later....

joe dokes · Dec 11, 2015

TheoShmeo said:
That's crazy, yo.

It would be surprising to see Julian back before the playoffs but if he's at practice in Week 14 and they need to win a game in order to get/keep a bye later....

It also enables them to put him on the injury report as a participant, which helps mess with the opposition just a little bit.

Erik Hanson's Hook · Dec 12, 2015

Reading a couple "I've never been so calm during a Patriot loss" kind of posts (not in this thread).

Couldn't disagree more. It pains me to say it, but I think we are in deep shit.

I think they lose again this week, and would be all over Houston at -3.5. This offense ain't changing. We're gonna see the same shit until Jules and Gronk come back.

k-factory · Dec 12, 2015

A silver lining coming out of these losses and this injury mess is James White getting on the field more, learning the playbook and developing a rapport with Tom in the passing game. Seems like he needs to improve on his blocking assignments and he's obviously not as dynamic as Lewis but he's going to benefit from the return of Gronk and eventually Edelman as well. Really curious to see his game tomorrow.

Blue Monkey · Dec 12, 2015

Erik Hanson's Hook said:
Reading a couple "I've never been so calm during a Patriot loss" kind of posts (not in this thread).

Couldn't disagree more. It pains me to say it, but I think we are in deep shit.

I think they lose again this week, and would be all over Houston at -3.5. This offense ain't changing. We're gonna see the same shit until Jules and Gronk come back.

I assume you mean +3.5... Deep shit? Lets not get carried away here. The Pats may be in a tough spot but a healthy lineup in the post season is all they need. First round bye or not... give me a healthy Brady, Gronk and Edelman. They will be fine. This isn't Isis. No one is dying.

PayrodsFirstClutchHit · Dec 12, 2015

If special teams can avoid shitting the bed 3 games in a row, the Pats should be able to win a low scoring affair.

My season wishes have degraded over the past few weeks...

They need to go undefeated.
They need to get the 1 seed.
The need to secure a bye.
They need to just make the playoffs and get healthy.

This team at its best can beat any team in the league. They need to get back those key weapons when it counts the most.

Corsi · Dec 12, 2015

Rapsheet: #Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski (knee) did make the trip to Houston with his team, so he's still listed as questionable.

Stitch01 · Dec 12, 2015

Hard to be in deep shit when the downside case is going 12-4 and having to win three games with the best team in the conference

RedOctober3829 · Dec 12, 2015

I'm surprised 87 traveled given BBs comments regarding injured guys traveling. Is he going through the pregame motions or is there a legit chance he plays?

DJnVa · Dec 12, 2015

RedOctober3829 said:
I'm surprised 87 traveled given BBs comments regarding injured guys traveling. Is he going through the pregame motions or is there a legit chance he plays?

I seriously doubt BB is doing it for show.

PaulinMyrBch · Dec 12, 2015

dcmissle · Dec 12, 2015

They value the bye highly, so Gronk plays some, is how I read it. If they had beaten Denver, he stays home, I think. If they had not gagged the Philly game, maybe he stays home because they still have a one-game edge. We'll never know, but this is my sense of the situation. This is where 4 consecutive quarters of sloppy football spread over 2 games can land you.

Stitch01 · Dec 12, 2015

Is he at meaningfully increased risk of knee injury with the bone bruise? If not and he feels comfortable he should play. If so, he shouldn't.

dcmissle · Dec 12, 2015

He at least falls into the category of banged up and is probably our most valuable player other than Brady. When not striving for a perfect season, teams sideline valuable banged up players late season regularly -- when they have a cushion. We don't have a cushion.

Rest aside, a bye is incredibly valuable because it represents one fewer playoff game you have to win if you are gunning for a championship.

RedOctober3829 · Dec 12, 2015

RedOctober3829 · Dec 12, 2015

dcmissle · Dec 12, 2015

Didn't Hightower have a massive wrap on his leg during practice or am I confusing him with someone else?

soxhop411 · Dec 12, 2015

soxhop411 said:
Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 41s41 seconds ago
Hightower's left leg/knee is heavily wrapped.

Yes it was Hightower

@dcmissle

brandonchristensen · Dec 12, 2015

Amazing we got gronk back.

BannedbyNYYFans.com · Dec 12, 2015

Even if Gronk is limited and only plays in the red zone it's huge.

m0ckduck · Dec 13, 2015

Stitch01 said:
Is he at meaningfully increased risk of knee injury with the bone bruise?

Yes, an informed opinion on this would be great.

My takeaway from the initial tweets after he injured the leg was that you can't aggravate a bone bruise and that it was a 'pain management' issue— if he feels ok to play, then he's ok to play (esp. as you'll gain back the week of rest that you lose now later provided he contributes to wrapping up a top seed).

But noodling around more on the internet, I see indications that 'bone bruise' is sort of a euphemism for soft tissue and tendon damage, which sounds like something that could be seriously re-aggravated.

TheoShmeo · Dec 13, 2015

brandonchristensen said:
Amazing we got gronk back.

Managing expectations mode...I'll beleive it when I see it.

DaveRoberts'Shoes · Dec 13, 2015

m0ckduck said:
Yes, an informed opinion on this would be great.

My takeaway from the initial tweets after he injured the leg was that you can't aggravate a bone bruise and that it was a 'pain management' issue— if he feels ok to play, then he's ok to play (esp. as you'll gain back the week of rest that you lose now later provided he contributes to wrapping up a top seed).

But noodling around more on the internet, I see indications that 'bone bruise' is sort of a euphemism for soft tissue and tendon damage, which sounds like something that could be seriously re-aggravated.

Oh, I'm informed, alright.

First off, do not noodle around for medical information on the Internet. Like, ever. As for the bone bruise... it's like any bruise. It hurts and there is swelling but it's not "dangerous" per se. A regular bruise is bleeding into skin and soft tissue, a bone bruise is bleeding inside a bone. They both hurt both neither of them compromise anything structurally. Now, if you have a bruise on your forearm and you keep poking it it can start to hurt more, and Gronk's bone bruise of his tibia might hurt more as he runs on it more, which might be the reason his snaps are limited - the more plays he's out there for the worse it might feel to the point where it might make him ineffective. I firmly believe that if there was any sort of ligament involvement that might be permanently affected by his playing, he wouldn't even have made the trip.

soxhop411 · Dec 13, 2015

“@AdamSchefter: One source this am on Patriots’ TE Rob Gronkowski’s availability for tonight’s game: ”It looks good.“ Scott Chandler also expected to play.”

PaulinMyrBch · Dec 13, 2015

I'd be OK with Chandler chipping Watt and Gronk chipping Clowney and catching 3 yard bleed routes all day. Looking for Brady to stay upright today.

H78 · Dec 13, 2015

Gronk playing tells me Bill wants that bye pretty badly, and I don't blame him.

If they went 10-6, which means losing every remaining game, they'd still likely be the 3 seed. But I think Bill is looking at this team thinking, "let's try to get that bye secured in the next few weeks, and then properly rest guys during the bye week." He's taking the white gloves off to get this team properly positioned in January.

Why else bring Gronk back so soon if you're at worst the #3 no matter what? Unless they win tonight to bury the Jets and THEN sit Gronk the rest of the regular season, Bill clearly sees the importance in the bye and is going after it right now. So while some are saying, "Just get in, even if we have to play a WC game," this move tells me that Bill Belichick disagrees with you; he wants his team to have that week off.

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_) · Dec 13, 2015

H78 said:
Gronk playing tells me Bill wants that bye pretty badly, and I don't blame him.

If they went 10-6, which means losing every remaining game, they'd still likely be the 3 seed. But I think Bill is looking at this team thinking, "let's try to get that bye secured in the next few weeks, and then properly rest guys during the bye week." He's taking the white gloves off to get this team properly positioned in January.

Why else bring Gronk back so soon if you're at worst the #3 no matter what? Unless they win tonight to bury the Jets and THEN sit Gronk the rest of the regular season, Bill clearly sees the importance in the bye and is going after it right now. So while some are saying, "Just get in, even if we have to play a WC game," this move tells me that Bill Belichick disagrees with you; he wants his team to have that week off.

Or the pain in his knee has lessened and there is no ligament damage and healthy players are expected to play.

Sometimes I think Bill really doesn't over complicate things and just goes with what makes the most sense.

Dogman · Dec 13, 2015

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_) said:
Or the pain in his knee has lessened and there is no ligament damage and healthy players are expected to play.

Sometimes I think Bill really doesn't over complicate things and just goes with what makes the most sense.

Agreed. Based on what DRS posted, Gronk is healthy enough to play without doing more damage so he plays. Gronk playing gives the team a better chance to win this week and it's really that simple. At the moment, there is no point in thinking BB is looking ahead to a bye given that there are a number of games to be played between teams that will effect seeding. Den/Cincy, Pitt/Cincy.

dcmissle · Dec 13, 2015

Steelers taking care of business so far this week, and I expect they will against Broncos at home as well. Let's see what we do with open door.

soxfan121 · Dec 13, 2015

Dogman2 said:
Agreed. Based on what DRS posted, Gronk is healthy enough to play without doing more damage so he plays.

Let's not go too far. He went to offshore medical school, not Harvard or something.

And there is a non-zero chance that Bill is just trolling every fantasy player in America by bringing Gronk to Houston, only to make him an (8:30 PM on Sunday) game-time DNP.

YTF · Dec 13, 2015

PaulinMyrBch said:
I'd be OK with Chandler chipping Watt and Gronk chipping Clowney and catching 3 yard bleed routes all day. Looking for Brady to stay upright today.

From your lips to God's ears.

dbn · Dec 13, 2015

"Never trust anything north of Central Sq."
- Thomas Aquinas

Morgan's Magic Snowplow · Dec 13, 2015

This game is big not only for the obvious won-loss reasons but because a win here basically clinches the tiebreaker against the Bengals on common games. Essentially, win here and we have a two game cushion for a bye with three to play.

Carlos Cowart · Dec 13, 2015

Sucks that this game means more to Houston than it does to the Pats. They have only a half game lead in the putrid AFC south and a zero chance at a wildcard if they piss it away.

alydar · Dec 13, 2015

I dunno, to the extent that emotional / positioning stuff matters (not much, I think), it is better that the Colts lost. Better for Houston to have a feeling they are playing a bit with house money, rather than needing a win to keep pace. But again, I don't put too much stock into this sort of thinking.

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