3 Reasons why the Houston Texans can win against the Patriots

The Houston Texans regular season starts today as they kickoff against the reigning AFC Champion New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The road team has reasons as to why they can win the season opener.

Both the Houston Texans and the New Patriots have star-heavy rosters entering their Week 1 game. The Texans have second-year phenom Deshaun Watson paired with star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, along with a formidable defense including J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney.

The Patriots, however, have an equally powerful team. Their offense features future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski. This legendary offensive tandem will give the Texans some trouble, but a Texans win is still possible for many reasons.

A win is possible because the Texans last season came close, losing by just three points at 36-33 to the Patriots. This year the team is a season smarter and possibly mentally stronger for all the adversity they faced after finishing 4-12 and overcoming season-ending injuries in 2017.

Though winning isn’t an easy task as the Texans are 1-9 in their 10 meetings with the Patriots, here are three reasons why the Texans can defeat the Patriots in Week 1.

3. A revamped defensive line and secondary

Football Outsiders ranked the Houston Texans 23rd in the league in defensive efficiency ranking last year, and Pro Football Focus even argued that the Texans had “arguably the worst secondary in the NFL at the end of last season.” These low rankings were attributed to the many injuries in the defense, including Whitney Mercilus and J.J. Watt who were both injured very early in the season.

The pass defense, also, was very weak due to the injury, lack of skill and age. However, during the offseason the Texans took their defensive struggles and made a full 360. First, Romeo Crennel regained the reins of the defense by becoming the new Texans defensive coordinator, a year after being assistant head coach under Bill O’Brien. This move should provide a new face to the defense as Crennel has shown success coaching this defensive group after their stellar defensive season in 2016.

Another relieving sign for the Texans is the return of Mercilus and Watt from their season-ending injuries in 2017, giving Clowney some help along the defensive line. Another positive sign for the Texans’ improving defense is Zach Cunningham, a 2017 second round pick from Vanderbilt, who is looking to add to the 90 combined tackles that he had last year.

With his impressive stats, Cunningham should be able to fortify the Texans’ run defense, making the run game especially difficult for the Patriots this week. Additionally, Texans general manager Brian Gaine made sure to improve the secondary during the offseason with the free agent signing of Aaron Colvin.

Colvin, a great slot corner from the Jacksonville Jaguars, “ranks first in coverage snaps per TD allowed since 2014” according to Pro Football Focus. This will ease the burden of facing Patriots receiver Chris Hogan who will be targeted greatly in the season opener.

On top of all of this, the Texans made headlines after the signing of Pro Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu from the Arizona Cardinals. Mathieu will hopefully be able to mitigate the threat that Rob Gronkowski poses. Expect the Texans defense to stymie the Patriots, which can lead to a Texans win.

2. Deshaun Watson is back

Houston Texans fans are very aware of Deshaun Watson and the havoc he wreaked on the AFC before his season-ending ACL tear. In the seven games that he played last season, Watson threw for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, earning a 103.0 Quarterback Rating.

Watson’s stats have Texans fans eagerly waiting for his performance this year, and the wait is finally over. Watson will start Sunday after a nearly a year of recovering from his ACL tear and should have no problem picking up right where he left off last year. With Watson playing, fans should not be surprised with a Texans win.

During the preseason, Watson showcased his accuracy and his offensive intelligence in the few drives he played. Watson, with both DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller back from injuries, should give the depleted Patriots defense a great deal of trouble.

After losing starting cornerback, Malcolm Butler to the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots do not have a clear leader in the secondary. The mistake to acquire an elite cornerback during the offseason will hurt the Patriots greatly. Watson will be able to ravage their secondary with all of his weapons healthy and dangerous as ever. Last year, the Patriots were lucky to defeat the Texans in a close game, but they will not be as lucky this time.

1. Patriots will take a step back

This season expect the Patriots to take a step back this year compared to where they’ve been the past two seasons in being the AFC champions. Tom Brady is getting older so there is a chance that he might not be the same player he was last year. Most importantly though, the Patriots lost some important players over the offseason.

First off, starting wide receiver Julian Edelman will start the season on the bench during his four-game suspension for using performance enhancing drugs. Additionally, the Patriots lost Danny Amendola to the Miami Dolphins during the offseason and traded star receiver Brandin Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams. These two moves along with Edelman’s suspension will be very debilitating as the Patriots lost three starting receivers who were the main catalysts of offense last year.

As a result, I believe that the Patriots will not be as offensively potent, especially Sunday against the Texans. Additionally, the Patriots lost Dion Lewis, a fan favorite and a starting running back, during the offseason. Not only are the Patriots thin on the depth chart at running back, but also lost great talent in Lewis. That move will make the running game for the Pats even worse.

Last but not least, the Patriots lost Malcolm Butler, the leader of their secondary, a Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl hero. Butler provided leadership and defensive prowess that would have hindered the Texans. However, these major losses have created many holes in the Patriots roster, holes which will not only be exposed in Week 1 against the Texans, but for the rest of the season. A Texans win is imminent and inevitable.