It was ugly, but a win is a win.
Playing without four of its five starters on the offensive line and missing their No. 2 cornerback, the Patriots were able to beat the Texans, 25-22 on the road Sunday afternoon.
It was a very sloppy game, but the Patriots were able to make more plays than Houston in the second half when it mattered most. The Patriots got the ball with 7:04 remaining in a tie game and went 84 yards down the field for a Nick Folk game-winning 21-yard field goal with 15 seconds to go.
New England trailed 22-9 early in the third quarter.
Here are 10 quick thoughts on the game.
1. Mac Jones was solid once again. The rookie finished 23-for-30 with 231 yards, a touchdown and an interception. While he didn't make any game-changing plays he continues to manage things quite well and doesn't do much in the negative category. He showed a lot of poise on the final drive and then the last drive in the first half that led to a field goal with no timeouts.
2. For as bad as the Patriots defense was in the early going, it stepped up when it needed to most. Houston did not score any points on its final five possessions. It wasn't a great performance, but it made the plays it needed to make in the fourth quarter.
3. There’s little doubt at this point that Matt Judon is the best player on the entire team. The edge rusher put the defense on his back at the end of the first half by recording two sacks in the red zone, which helped force a field goal. He finished the game with four tackles, two sacks and three QB hits. He’s also proving to be worth all the money the Patriots paid him this offseason.
4. The Patriots can thank the Houston coaching staff for allowing them to get back in the game. They got too cute on a punt in the third quarter, which ended up with the ball being kicked off a Texans player after hurrying to the line to catch the Patriots off guard. And then it decided to kick a 56-yard field goal instead of punting/going for it early in the fourth quarter. It missed and the Patriots took over at midfield. The 0-yard punt in the third quarter gave the Patriots the momentum they needed. It's also worth pointing out Houston had a brutal roughing the passer penalty on third-and-long on the final drive.
5. For all that was made of the makeshift offensive line, it really wasn’t an issue. Justin Herron, Yodny Cajuste, Ted Karras, James Ferentz and David Andrews deserve a lot of credit for the job they did with four starters being out. With that being said, the unit needs to get its starters back because this isn’t sustainable.
6. The Patriots running backs continue to have issues holding onto the ball. Damien Harris fumbled going into the end zone on the Patriots’ second possession of the game. He also seemed to get benched as Rhamondre Stevenson got significantly more playing time than expected even before he suffered a chest/rib injury. This is the second time this year he has fumbled inside the 10-yard line. Every running back on the roster besides Brandon Bolden has had issues this year with fumbling.
7. Following No. 1 cornerback Stephon Gilmore being traded earlier in the week, JC Jackson did not have a very good performance, especially in the first half. He committed two penalties and allowed a few key conversions on third and fourth down. Now firmly the Patriots’ top corner, this wasn’t the game the team envisioned a few days after Gilmore got traded.
8. For as good as Josh McDaniels was against Tampa Bay last week, he took a step back this week. There were plenty of questionable play calls, especially in the red zone. It’s worth noting the issues with the offensive line, but it still felt like McDaniels left a few plays out there and wasn’t as aggressive as he could have been.
9. While he missed an extra point, Nick Folk continues to be solid for the Patriots. The veteran made kicks of 52, 52, 32 and 21 yards. He’s been rock solid the last two seasons.
10. The Patriots will need to fix things on defense in a hurry, as they will host the Cowboys at Gillette Stadium next Sunday afternoon. Dallas came into Week 5 with the second-best rushing attack in the league.