The New England Patriots seemed to be past the blockage that had plagued their season. Prior to Week 9, the Patriots couldn’t win close games. Then in Weeks 9 and 10, New England briefly established their offensive identity while improving the defense just enough to win games.
And then in Week 11, it all came undone. The lowly Houston Texans beat the Patriots, 27-20, at NRG Stadium on Sunday. Though the Patriots’ briefly flirted with fighting for playoff contention, they are essentially out of the mix in the AFC.
New England had a shot to tie the game, with Newton leading a drive into the Texans’ half of the field with a minute left to play. But he faced pressure on a fourth down and couldn’t get a throw off. The turnover on downs essentially ended the game. Here are the winners and losers from the matchup.
