Patriots - Texans Recap

The replacement.

The Patriots lost in more ways than one yesterday. First let's dive into the injury to Wes Welker that's on everyones mind.

• The bottom line is there is no replacing Wes Welker, period. Without him as a security blanket, Tom Brady's completion percentage falls from 68% to 56%, and his QB rating falls from 103 to 69. His chemistry, experience and reliabiliy with Welker is irreplacable.
• Many people feel Julian Edelman can fill his void in the slot (he did Sunday with 10 catches, 103 yards, and 15 targets) but it will be tough. With Edelman getting a decent amount of playing experience this season the transition to Welker's role eases some.
• One thing the former collegiate QB possesses is a high football IQ which is essential for slot recievers. His understanding of defenses and coverages will ease his development.
• The Patriots' offense is predicated on pre-snap reads. At any given time Welker has the ability to run a handful of routes that are dictated by what the defense presents. Edelman and Brady's chemistry will have to continue to evolve on the fly.
• Another thing going for Edelman is his motor. He appears to have a nose for getting extra yards, much like WW.
  

With a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter, the Patriots gave up 21 points to the Texans as the offense and defense fell apart.

Let's look at the positions.

QBs:

• Tom Brady was 17-26 for 186 yards and a key late INT in his own territory that gave the Texans the W. Interestingly, Coach Belichick took Brady out on each of the two minute drives to finish off each half. Clearly he wanted Brady out of the game in obvious pass-rushing situations with his three broken ribs (reported Sunday). Overall, a bit of a disappointing game from Brady.
• Back-up undrafted rookie free agent Brian Hoyer was summoned into the game twice. In his first half drive he went 6-7 and showed great poise while setting up a Gostkowski field goal. The decision to insert him in these situations with the game within reach is a bit tough to grasp, but if nothing else, young Hoyer gained some big-time experience if he is ever called upon.

RBs:

• Sammy Morris, last week's leading tailback, rushed 7 times for just 9 yards.
• Fred Taylor rushed for 2 TDs on 7 carries and 33 yards, but apprently caught Laurence Maroney's fumbleitis as he coughed it up inside of our own 5 yard line and it was picked up for a defensive TD. Taylor was not pulled from the game though, and ran pretty well after his fumble.
• Maroney and Faulk were both inactive.
• BenJarvis Green-Ellis ran late in the game, and did a solid job at fullback on a few plays.
• It's anyone's guess who will be the head honcho in the backfield next week.
  

WRs/TEs:

• Randy Moss caught 5 balls for 75 yards and played the entire game except for the last possession. Moss benefits greatly from Welker being on the field and will need to step up during the playoffs.
• Edelman, as we know filled in admirably for Welker, and gained some great experience heading into the playoffs.
• Ben Watson had 3 catches for 32 yards. Perhaps in the absense of Welker, Watson may be looked for more often in the passing game.
  

OL:

• Matt Light and Sebastian Vollmer started at the tackle spots, but Nick Kazcur subbed in as the three rotated.
• Before Dan Connolly went down with an ankle injury, he filled in a bit for Logan Mankins and Stephen Neal at the guard spots.
• A key play against the Ravens earlier this season was a strip-sack on Brady by Terrell Suggs that was scooped up for a TD. The offensive line needs to protect Brady in the passing game.
  

DL/LBs:

• With Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork out the run defense suffered.
• OLB Derrick Burgess had his best game with the Patriots so far. He had a sack, while also being in on 9 tackles (8 solo). The Patriots could use his edge rushing opposite of Tully Banta-Cain heading into the playoffs, because Adalius Thomas continues to be an invisible man.

Secondary:

• The highlight of the afternoon for the secondary was when Darius Butler picked off a pass for a 91-yard TD.
• Without Leigh Bodden (healthy inactive, most likely resting for the playoffs), the team did a decent job of shutting down Andre Johnson. AJ had just 6 catches for 65 yards which is well below his averages on the season.
• A mis-communication resulted in a first quarter wide open 25-yard TD catch for the Texans. The safeties appeared to bite early, leaving the top of the field open and it was exploited for a TD.

Special Teams:

• Stephen Gostkowski was 2-2 on FGs including a 51-yard strike down the middle and a 43 yarder at the end of the first half. He is as reliable as they come, and could be crucial in the playoffs.
• The Patriots experimented a bit on kick returns with Darius Butler bringing back 3 kicks. The Pats also gave Isaiah Stanback a look, and Matthew Slater saw a couple of returns.

A tough day for the Patriots. Luckily they are returning home where they are 8-0 for a Wild Card game on Sunday versus Baltimore. A full preview of that game will be posted on Friday. In the meantime, a recap of the week 4 against the Ravens can be found here.