It took a decade, but the Houston Texans beat the New England Patriots on Sunday, their first time doing so since January of 2010.
No matter if Houston was contending or pretending, the Patriots have always acted as the Texans’ kryptonite. New England had beaten the Texans in eight-straight matchups before Deshaun Watson and Co. willed a 28-22 victory over them on Sunday.
“It was great. It feels great,” said DeAndre Hopkins after the win. “I haven’t beat those guys since I’ve been here.”
Hopkins, against a vaunted secondary, hauled in five receptions for 64 yards on Sunday. He also recorded a six-yard touchdown toss to Watson, who, after the game, stated the win built confidence for the Texans moving forward.
“Of course, against a team like the Patriots who has been doing it for so long and know the talent and the things they’ve been doing for this season, it was big for us,” said Watson. “It builds our confidence. It builds the momentum for us to continue to try to push on.”
With the win, the Texans move to 8-4, placing them comfortably on-top of the AFC South and third in the AFC playoff standings. They can’t rest now. There is still football to be played, starting next Sunday, with the 4-8 Denver Broncos.
“It’s another football game,” said Hopkins. “Can’t look too much into it. Got to turn the page and move on to Denver this coming week.”
The Patriots win was monumental for the Texans. But, there is still work to do, including learning from the mishaps from Sunday night.
“For us, we got to continue to keep rolling, continue to find ways to get better, correct the mistakes, keep pushing forward,” said Watson.
While the 4-8 Broncos may not be a playoff team, they, like the Texans, have momentum. On Sunday, they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers to get rookie quarterback Drew Lock’s first career win in his first NFL playing time.
