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Two undefeated teams are ready to do battle on Thursday Night Football as the New England Patriots host the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 10:25am AEST.
With Tom Brady serving his four-game suspension for deflating balls, third-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had the unenviable task of stepping into the Hall of Famer’s shoes.
But after Garoppolo threw his third touchdown in as many drives against a helpless Miami defence last week, Pats fans could have been forgiven for saying Tom who?
However just minutes later, a big hit delivered by Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso brought New England fans back to earth and had Garoppolo wincing in pain as he clutched his shoulder.
Despite the rapturous chant of ‘Jimmy!’ from the New England faithful, Garoppolo was unable to play on after he was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint.
Enter third string rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett. After performing admirably to close out the game against the Dolphins, Brissett is in line for his first NFL start against a miserly Texans defence which is ranked third in both points conceded and yards allowed.
The Texans should feel confident about their chances on the road, after wins over the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs.
Houston’s defence has not allowed a touchdown in their last six quarters and after missing the entire preseason due to back surgery, human wrecking ball JJ Watt looks to be playing himself into form.
The three-time defensive player of the year was back to his ominous best after collecting 1.5 sacks against the Chiefs last week. Texans fans will also be pleased to hear defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will join his Pro Bowl teammate on Thursday night after overcoming a foot complaint.
Clowney has been a key cog for the defense in the first two games of the season and has started to display some of the immense potential that led to him being drafted number one overall in 2014.
However the Texans will need to have both offence and defence firing on all cylinders if they are to topple the Patriots for just the second time in team history.
Since their inclusion into the NFL, the Texans have only managed a solitary victory in eight meetings. The last clash between the two sides was very one sided as the Patriots cruised to 28-6 win.
But with newly acquired quarterback Brock Osweiler at the helm and rookie wide receiver Will Fuller providing the Texans offence with another weapon to compliment star wideout Deandre Hopkins, it is likely to be a vastly different match up this time around.
Prediction
Thursday’s game promises to be an intriguing one as Belichick faces his old protégé Bill O’Brien, now head coach of the Texans.
Against a formidable Houston defence, look for Bill Belichick to feature a run-heavy offence to open up some play action passes and also to take some pressure of the rookie.
New England should hold no fear for Osweiler, after he secured a win against the same team last year for the Broncos playing a mistake free game in tough conditions.
It should be a tight game, but with home field advantage and arguably the greatest NFL coach on their sideline the Patriots might just eek out the win.
Patriots win by 3 (20-17)
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