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New England Patriots: Brandin Cooks breaks out with great performance

By Nick Ziegler

FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 24: Tom Brady #12 reacts with Brandin Cooks #14 of the New England Patriots after Brady threw the game winning touchdown pass to Cooks during the fourth quarter of a game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on September 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 24: Tom Brady #12 reacts with Brandin Cooks #14 of the New England Patriots after Brady threw the game winning touchdown pass to Cooks during the fourth quarter of a game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on September 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots were able to get a big win on Sunday, as they pulled off a comeback win against the Houston Texans. In the comeback, one player really stood out.

This offseason, one of the most shocking moves made the New England Patriots was the acquisition of wide receiver Brandin Cooks. As a member of the New Orleans Saints, Cooks was emerging as one of the top young wide receivers in the NFL.

In somewhat untypical fashion, the Patriots decided to trade a first-round pick as part of a package to acquire Cooks. Wide receiver wasn’t considered to be a position of need for the Patriots coming into the offseason, but the addition of Cooks really made it a strength.

During the preseason, the acquisition of Cooks looked even better when the Patriots lost Julian Edelman for the season to a torn ACL. If the Patriots didn’t have Cooks and Edelman went down, the Patriots would have been in trouble.

In the first two games of the season, Cooks wasn’t a huge factor for the Patriots. In the loss to the Chiefs in Week 1, Cooks totaled three receptions for 88 receiving yards. The following week, many were expecting Cooks to have a monster game against his former team, but he totaled just two catches on a day when Tom Brady threw for 447 passing yards.

Even though the Patriots were big favorites at home against the Texans, they needed a last-second comeback in order to secure the win. One of the top performers ended up being Cooks. Despite not doing much the first few games, Cooks ended up totaling five receptions, 131 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. Most importantly was the great touchdown that Cooks was able to haul in to secure the win for the Patriots.

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Seeing Cooks come up in big in an important game for the Patriots was certainly an encouraging sign. Even though he is a great receiver, it can take time to get used to a new system. After the great game against the Texans, it appears the Cooks is feeling more comfortable in New England.

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