It's easy to point to the play that changed everything in the Patriots' come-from-behind win over the Texans Sunday afternoon.
Early in the third quarter, leading 22-9, the Texans attempted to catch the Patriots off guard by having punter Cameron Johnston move toward the line, then drop back to his usual spot and punt, but it did not go as planned.
Johnston never got back to the proper distance, so when he punted the ball it went right into the back of personal protector Terrence Brooks’ helmet. It deflected right out of bounds, so it was ruled a 0-yard punt.
The Patriots took over and then scored on four straight possessions to close out the game and the come-from-behind win.
Patriots players credited Lawrence Guy for pushing the line back and helping the play go their way.
“From the outside looking in, you look at it like (a mistake), but a lot don’t see the guy across from him — the guy that made the play, which was Guy,” linebacker Jamie Collins told reporters afterwards. “Guy’s always just a sneaky playmaker. He’s always under the radar. He’s not a flashy playmaker, but he’s always making plays. That’s what’s great about Guy. He’s not a flashy playmaker, and (those are) the best kind, for real.”
Even Bill Belichick gave credit to Guy.
“We were able to get the call and pressure that,” he said. “We had some big guys in there so if they did fake it, we felt like we were covered, but at the same time, we felt like we could pressure, as well. I’m not sure exactly what happened there but know we had guys coming whether it was a fake or not. Obviously, they missed it there, and LG made a great play.”
The Patriots improve to 2-3 on the year.
