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Patriots' Trey Flowers Ready For Week 1: 'It's Time For Football To Be Played'

BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers didn't see the field during the preseason. But that is about to change with Week 1 of the regular season upon us.

When the Patriots kick off the 2018 season against the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, Flowers will be where digging in along the edge, eager to bring down Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

"Yeah, man. That's the plan," Flowers replied Sunday when asked if he'd be playing in New England's Week 1 tilt. "I play football, so it's time for football to be played. So I expect to be out there."

This is music to the ears of New England fans after an unknown injury limited the Patriots' dynamic pass rusher for most of training camp. Flowers has led the Patriots in sacks and QB hits in each of the last two seasons, and is the defense's best threat to get to the quarterback heading into his fourth NFL season. He is anxious to finally set his sights on an opponent rather than a teammate, starting with a tough task in Week 1 against a healthy Watson set to lead the Texans.

"He's a guy that's definitely hard to bring down. Definitely hard to play, especially in my position," Flowers said of Watson, who rushed for 269 yards and two touchdowns last season before tearing his ACL. "He's a guy that we've got to contain, got to make sure we stay disciplined in our rush lanes and keep eyes on him and make sure we don't allow him to escape the pocket."

Flowers' optimism is promising, though we'll be keeping a close eye on his status on this week's participation/injury reports leading up to Sunday's opener.

Tune in to Patriots-Texans Sunday afternoon on WBZ-TV -- the flagship station of the New England Patriots! Pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay, and after the game catch Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's press conferences LIVE on Patriots 5th Quarter!

 

 

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