It feels like it has been a decade since Gillette Stadium was the place to be for a Patriots game, as the team has gone down a rapid decline since Tom Brady left nearly six years ago. Foxboro was once the place no team wanted to play, as the fans made it one of the best home-field advantage stadiums in the NFL, and fortunately, that has already proven true again this year.
After back-to-back seasons ending with a 4-13 record, Mike Vrabel's efforts to bring the Patriots back to the playoffs immediately paid off, and fans wanted to ensure the team heard their excitement all season long, but especially in primetime.
They made that apparent against the Chargers last week, setting the scene for what the Texans will be walking into, but their head coach, DeMeco Ryans, is already showing he's unfazed by what's to come, and inadvertently gave the Patriots (and their fans) some bulletin board material.
DeMeco Ryans might have just made the biggest mistake ever going into the divisional round vs. the Patriots
In the immediate aftermath of stealing a win on the road in Pittsburgh, Ryans shared his thoughts that an adverse environment doesn't mean much in the NFL, which doesn't bode well for going to Foxboro this Sunday.
It was almost like he was sending a challenge to Patriots fans to show up and be louder than they were last week, which could come back to bite the Texans hard if they do.
“Every place is difficult in the playoffs. This was a really cool environment (in Pittsburgh). I’m proud of our guys for focusing on what really matters — and it’s not the environment. It’s about executing and playing good football."
While he's not wrong about the team still needing to execute and play the game, saying the environment has little bearing on what happens is a bit foolish.
The crowd can create a frustrating environment for opponents, whether because they can't hear each other or their headsets, or they make mistakes that would typically be avoidable. We've seen that countless times over the years in places like Seattle and Kansas City, and New England is no different, especially with how hyped the fans are right now.
On top of that, the Texans play in a dome and will be playing a mid-January game in Massachusetts, where temperatures will likely be in the 30s and 40s. That's going to be an obstacle for them as it is; adding in the noise from the crowd will only make it worse.
Hearing these comments will probably only make Patriots fans even louder than they were last week, so this could be a complete disaster by Ryans, and that would be incredible to see.