Boomer Esiason: Patriots Defense 'Pretty Damn Good'
BOSTON (CBS) -- After righting the ship with a win over the Texans and with a little help from the Steelers and Raiders, the New England Patriots are back to being the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture.
Tom Brady threw a pair of touchdowns, one to tight end Rob Gronkowski in his return from a knee injury, and the New England defense kept the Texans out of the end zone as the Patriots prevailed 27-6 Sunday night in Houston. Meanwhile, the Bengals and Broncos both lost, putting New England on the fast track to clinch home field advantage in the playoffs up until that big game in Santa Clara.
Boomer Esiason of The NFL Today and WFAN joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich for his weekly call into the show on Monday morning, and while Brady and Gronk may get most of the attention, it's hard not to pass along some praise for the Patriots' defense for their work this season.
"It was a pretty impressive performance. While their O is terrific and Tom Brady can make anyone go, the fact still remains that their defense is pretty damn good," said Boomer. "Last night, it showed itself again."
The New England defense held Houston to just 189 yards in the win while sacking quarterback Brian Hoyer five times. Logan Ryan was stellar in the secondary, holding Deandre Hopkins to three catches for 52 yards on six targets -- his lowest reception total of the year.
The cards fell in the Patriots' favor elsewhere on Sunday too. The Bengals not only lost their third game of the season but quarterback Andy Dalton is likely out the rest of the way with a broken thumb. Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler didn't throw a touchdown for the first time in five games, as the Broncos dropped to 10-3 as well.
With both of those teams looking human again, Esiason thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers are now the team no one will want to play come the postseason.
"The team that would give the Pats the best game would be the Pittsburgh Steelers, assuming they make it," said Esiason. "I'm sure the Jets will play them tough in two weeks; there's no doubt in my mind they'll give them all they can handle in two weeks but I don't see them going to Gillette and beating them in a playoff game."
The Steelers have won four of their last five games, with their offense hitting the 30-point mark in each of them. Ben Roethlisberger has 10 touchdown passes in those contests, and with weapons like Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and D'Angelo Williams, the Steelers high-powered offense makes up for a so-so defensive unit.
"Ben Roethlisberger and his team can go anywhere and play football against anybody. Their defense isn't all that great, but because they put so much pressure on other teams with their big play capability, I would think they're a team in the AFC that you would not want to see," said Boomer.
Esiason also touches on the most disappointing team this season, the Eagles' recent turnaround and what it means for the future of Chip Kelly, and why Bill Belichick plays his star players late in games that have been decided:
