HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- Keke Coutee had not seen the field since fumbling in Week 2 against Baltimore.
The third-year slot receiver from Texas Tech was a healthy scratch in most of the games since then.
Coaches said they were dealing with a numbers game when it came to Coutee, with Randall Cobb taking snaps in the slot and Will Fuller, Brandin Cooks and Kenny Stills being the more reliable options at wide receiver.
But after Cobb went down with a foot injury in the first quarter on a touchdown catch, Coutee had to answer the bell.
He was already part of the game plan on special teams, returning a pair of punts for the Texans. They would need him to make plays on offense, too.
Coutee did that.
In the second quarter, with the Texans already leading the Patriots 14-10, Coutee got open in the back of the end zone as Deshaun Watson scrambled to find him.
“Coutee, I'll tell you what, you've got to take your hat off to the guy because he hasn't played since Baltimore,” Texans interim head coach Romeo Crennel said after the game. “But he comes for practice every day. He works really hard, and then when he gets the opportunity to go in and play, he shows what his ability is and what he can bring to the team. And that's what I tell all of them, that when you're not in the game and if you are not there, you need to study, you need to know the game plan because we just don't know when we're going to call you up, when you're going to put you in the game, and when you go into the game you have to perform, and he performed very well.”
Cobb’s foot injury could be serious, but there has been no official word on his status.
The Texans were also without star left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who dealt with an illness last week which led to him missing Sunday’s game.
Swing tackle Roderick Johnson stepped in his place, and the Texans offensive line did not miss a beat in pass protection.
While they still struggled to run the ball, Houston’s passing game was electric.
Watson was only pressured on two of his 37 dropbacks, his lowest pressure rate in a game in his career, according to Next Gen Stats.
And when the pocket collapsed on Watson, he used his legs to make plays.
“That's preparation,” Watson said of Johnson and Coutee stepping up. “Always ready for the next step. A lot of those guys, each and every week they've just been patiently waiting, kind of putting in that work, and when that time came they were ready for it. That's what I'm most proud about, is for those guys to step in and have the success and not miss a beat. That's what this team is all about. Regardless of what the record says, this team is always going to put in the work, we're always going to support each other. We're always going to go out there and give it our all. Regardless if you're playing a lot or if you've got to sub in for the next guy, that guy is going to be ready. It was a good job and I'm proud of everyone for doing that.”