Patriots-Texans Week 1 Predictions
BOSTON (CBS) -- Another football season is upon us, and the Patriots are once again among the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy when it's all said and done.
But there is a long, long ways to go before we can start thinking about that big game down in Atlanta (plus, who wants to starting thinking about February right now?). New England's 2018 journey begins Sunday afternoon against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium, where the Pats have never lost to the Texans. New England is 7-1 against Houston in the regular season, and 9-1 overall.
How will the season begin for the Patriots? Not everyone believes the Patriots will start the new campaign 1-0. Here's how the WBZ-TV and CBS Boston sports teams predict Sunday's game playing out:
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV
Houston is a team that scares me, simply because quarterback Deshaun Watson can hurt you with his arm and legs. He had his coming out party last year against the Patriots. With Watson on offense and JJ Watt on defense, the Texans have weapons on both sides of the ball.
But the Patriots should be prepared. Tom Brady and company are focused on getting off to a fast start -- both in the game and for the season. Brady is healthy with new weapons and a contract filled with incentives, and he's not the only one. Add Gronk to that mix too.
Patriots 28, Texans 17
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV
The Patriots are eventually going to be the good-to-great team that they always are, and if they were playing the Texans in Week 10, I'd be all in on New England and Tom Brady.
But the Texans are as talented a team as the Pats will face all season. Houston averaged 35 points per game with Deshaun Watson; without him they averaged 13. On defense, JJ Watt, Whitney Mercilus, and JaDeveon Clowney are all healthy and Brad Seely will make a difference with special teams.
Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels will be creative with Gronk and the running backs, but this is a tough opener for the Pats.
Texans 35, Patriots 30
Levan Reid, WBZ-TV
Bill Belichick says the first game of the season is the toughest to predict, and I agree with him. You have no idea how your team is going to perform and you have no idea what the other team is going to do.
The Pats may get lucky though. They open at home and they are familiar with the Texans. Deshaun Watson is awesome, but he's coming off an ACL injury and this will be his first full game since last year's surgery. I just don't think he will be as sharp on Sunday.
The Pats have new players but the offensive core of Brady, Gronk, Hogan and White are there. The return of Dont'a Hightower should help the squad.
My bold prediction for Sunday: The New England D will sack Watson five times, with Deatrich Wise Jr. accounting for three of them.
Patriots 24, Texans 14
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
(Taken from Hurley's weekly picks column; he has the Texans covering the 6.5 point spread)
This is, admittedly, a foolish thing to do. But I'm doing it anyway. I'm putting the Patriots in "prove it" territory. This is something that will make me feel like an absolute moron when Tom Brady hits Rob Gronkowski for a sixth touchdown on Sunday afternoon, but I feel for a number of reasons as though we ought to exhibit some caution before we go out and start picking the Patriots to win by a touchdown when their receiving corps is … not the best it's ever been.
And here's an EXCLUSIVE addition for this wonderful predictions post:
Yet while I don't feel confident that the Patriots will blow out the Texans, I still have a hard time picking against them. Maybe that's stubbornness, maybe that's getting caught up in the last 17 years a little bit, maybe that's getting influenced by the Texans' abysmal history vs. New England, and maybe that's overlooking just how terrible the Patriots were at home last September.
But I just feel like the Patriots had as frustrating an offseason as any team has ever had, for myriad reasons -- losing the Super Bowl chief among them. And they have a lot of prideful veterans that will put an emphasis on not even coming close to having an embarrassing start to the season for the second straight year. They may not be the most talented Patriots team ever, but they have enough to get this done. Stephen Gostkowski kicks the chip shot game-winner in the closing seconds, and the Patriots earn a hard-fought opening week victory.
Patriots 24, Texans 23
Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
The Texans have a great defense that can get after the quarterback, and they made life miserable for Tom Brady in Week 3 last season. He got crushed for much of the afternoon, highlighted by Mercilus casually waltzing in from his blind side for a strip sack that Clowney returned for a touchdown. Watt is back in that mix too, which should make for a long day for New England's new-look offensive line, now anchored by behemoth Trent Brown. Add in Brady's lack of receivers, and it could be a tough afternoon for the offense.
The defense doesn't have it any easier, with Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins two of the most dynamic playmakers in the game. Hopkins has never found the end zone against the Patriots, so he's due.
I've been leaning toward the Texans for much of the week, but now that it comes time to actually make a pick, I'm wussing out. The Patriots have a lot going against them after a frustrating offseason, and it's easier to figure out what's going on in Westworld than it is to predict Week 1 of an NFL season. But with their backs against the wall last season, Brady orchestrated a ridiculous comeback against the Texans, finishing with five touchdowns in one of his finest performances of his career. And even though Brady is without Julian Edelman, he still has the reliable hands of James White and giants mits of Rob Gronkowski. It won't be easy against one of the league's best defenses, but the Patriots will still put up points.
It's going to be another close, grind-em-out kind of games, one that will give people plenty to complain about all next week.
Patriots 27, Texans 21
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!
