Patriots mount second-half comeback, survive 25-22 scare at Houston
It was ugly. It was riddled with penalties and fraught with two turnovers.
But it was a win.
The Patriots survived a 25-22 scare in Houston on the right leg of kicker Nick Folk, who made four field goals, including a game-winner with 17 seconds left. Folk’s 21-yarder capped the first comeback drive of Mac Jones’ young career, which flirted with early disaster when the Pats trailed by 13 midway through the third quarter. Instead, Jones led two scoring drives and steered a 15-play game-winner to finish finished 23-of-30 for 231 yards, one touchdown and a pick.
He was also well protected by a patchwork offensive line down four starters. Jones took just one sack. His favorite target was veteran tight end Hunter Henry, who tied the game with a 13-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Henry led all Patriots with six catches for 75 yards.
Damien Harris topped all rushers with 58 yards on 14 carries, and left with a ribs injury.
The Patriots (2-3) held the ball for most of the last 7:17, before kicking away to the Texans, who ran two offensive plays and fumbled on the second to seal their latest loss.
Houston (1-4) ultimately handed the game over with questionable game management and poor special teams. Rookie quarterback Davis Mills (20 of 28 for 305 yards and three touchdowns) lit up Bill Belichick’s defense in the fist half, but his first-year head coach David Culley was unable to stop the clock late after prematurely burning a second-half timeout. His defense also committed a critical roughing the passer penalty during Jones’ final drive.
Offensively, the Texans game-planned to beat the clock and the Patriots. To that end , they drained 10 minutes with their opening possession, converting four third downs and once on fourth-and-2. J.C. Jackson gifted them one first down with a defensive pass interference penalty, then Kyle Dugger allowed an 11-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end Antony Auclair. Houston covered 79 yards in 18 plays
Jones answered by leading the Pats to points on their opening drive for the first time all season. Damien Harris capped the series with a 1-yard touchdown run off a direct snap, the offense’s first Wildcat play in years. Like the Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn, Pats kicker Nick Folk missed the ensuing extra point to forge a 6-6 tie.
Less than 90 seconds later, Houston scored on a broken-play touchdown by speedy wideout Chris Moore. Mills had rolled right on third-and-2 and spotted Moore behind J.C. Jackson along the right sideline, where they both leapt for a well-placed jump ball. With Pats safety Devin McCourty also converging, Moore plucked Mills’ pass out of the air, tucked his feet inbounds and veered back toward a vacated middle of the field, where he only slowed to cross the goal line.
Undeterred, Jones completed four straight passes on the next series before again yielding to Harris in the red zone. But there, he found trouble. A split second before reaching pay dirt, Texans defensive back Terrance Mitchell reached across the goal line and punched the ball out of Harris’ left arm. Houston recovered inside the end zone, and while the play was initially ruled a touchdown, it did not survive a review, so the Texans took over at their own 25.
Quickly, the Patriots defense paved Houston’s way downfield again with penalties and painfully unaware play. They allowed a predictable screen pass on third-and-16 to cover 15 yards, then surrendered the first of two passing conversions to Mills on fourth-and-short. The clock struck finally struck midnight on his Cinderella start later in the drive, after Mills had led the Texans inside the 10-yard.
Mills took two sacks on three goal-to-go snaps, with Matt Judon dropping him both times. Fairbairn then drilled a short field goal, and Jones survived a dropped interception on his ensuing 2-minute drill before Folk hit a 52-yarder for a 15-9 score at halftime. Then Jones’ luck ran out.
He fired an interception on his second , which led to another long Mills touchdown pass. Houston caught the Pats napping with a 37-yard flea flicker that found wide receiver Chris Conley, who had burned backup corner Joejuan Williams, a healthy scratch last week. Lucky for them, the Texans reverted back to form and could only muster three punts around a missed field goal until the game’s final moments. Meanwhile, Jones rediscovered his early rhythm, leading a field goal drive and then tossing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Henry to tie the game at 22 apiece.
Back with the ball deep inside his own territory, Jones fired another near interception on third-and-long with 5:15 remaining. But back at the line of scrimmage, a flag signified Houston had been whistled for roughing the passer, a penalty that revived the drive and the Patriots’ hopes. Three plays later, Jones rolled left and hit Henry for a 10-yard gain that midfield. After another dangerous incompletion, Bolden ripped off a 24-yard run after taking a toss left.
Six more runs followed, and so did a win.
Here were the best and worst Patriot performances from Sunday:
Best
TE Hunter Henry Henry delivered in the clutch, often moving the chains on third down and breaking free for a game-tying touchdown late.
LB Matt Judon Without his pressure, the Patriots would almost certainly be 1-4 to start their season. He was terrific again.
Worst
CB J.C. Jackson The Pats’ new No. 1 corner gifted Houston three first-down conversions and a touchdown in the first half alone.
RB Damien Harris Credit to Harris for fighting through injury, but he’s lost two fumbles within five games, both inside the red zone. Unacceptable.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3lt4Pmn
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