New England Patriots have strong opener against Houston Texans

The New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans in a solid showing in Week 1.

In Week 1, the New England Patriots were able to have a solid opening game at home, as they defeated the Houston Texans. With this being the first game of the season, it was far from a perfect showing for the Patriots, but they were able to earn a seven-point win.

As expected, Tom Brady and the offense played very well for New England. Even though they were without Julian Edelman due to a suspension and Sony Michel due to injury, the Patriots still scored 27 points.

Brady finished with 277 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. The offensive line did a very good job keeping Brady upright and he was able to hurt the Texans’ defense. With the Patriots lacking some weapons, Rob Gronkowski had a monster game, as he totaled 123 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown on seven receptions.

In addition to Gronkowski, Phillip Dorsett played well for the offense. Dorsett looked like he would be the No.2 wide receiver with Edelman out, and he totaled seven receptions and 66 receiving yards with a touchdown.

On the defensive side of the ball, New England did a good job against DeShaun Watson and the Texans offense. One of the things the Patriots were looking to improve upon this offseason was their pass-rush, and they certainly bothered Watson. In total, the Patriots totaled three sacks, but the pressure was on Watson throughout the game.

One of the keys for the success of the defense was the team containing DeAndre Hopkins. As one of the best receivers in the NFL, Hopkins totaled eight receptions, 78 yards, but was held without a touchdown.

The three turnovers for the Patriots were clearly a problem and made the game closer than it had to be, but the Patriots still prevailed. Next week for the Patriots will be one of the more difficult games on their schedule, as they will be facing the Jaguars on the road.