Week 3 of the 2016 NFL season will officially begin Thursday night as the Houston Texans travel to take on the New England Patriots. It will be a game time decision to see if QB, Jimmy Garoppolo with suit up for the Patriots following an injury he suffered against the Miami Dolphins. If he’s not able to go, Bill Belichick will be forced to go with Jacoby Brissett.
The Texans will enter the game with a 2-0 record and will look to put some distance between them and the rest of the AFC South. QB, Brock Osweiler will lead what is a surprisingly balanced offensive attack that features the sure hands of WR, DeAndre Hopkins and the strong running of Lamar Miller. Osweiler, in his first season, as the Texans lead guy has thrown for 499 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. The Texans have also relied on their defense as well with the strong play of their LB core.
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The Patriots will enter the contest still unclear if TE, Rob Gronkowski will be able to give it a go for the first time this season. If not then whoever is behind center will need to find themselves a security blanket. Those players for the Patriots so far has been Martellus Bennett, Julian Edelman, and LeGarrette Blount. The Patriots defense has surrendered some yards but have so far gotten away with the “bend but don’t break” philosophy.
If the defense can contain Osweiler and force him to make mistakes the defense will provide the offense with opportunities. But, if the secondary allows Osweiler time to throw as they did with Tannehill in the second half Sunday, they could be in for a long night. The Texans finally have stability on both sides of the ball, due to the running of Miller which has made defenses less tuned into Hopkins. If the Texans can keep their momentum going they may very well walk out of New England 3-0.
Here is where you can watch the game live.
Date: Thursday, September 22
Start Time: 8:25 P.M. (ET)
Game: Houston Texans vs New England Patriots
T.V. Channel: CBS & Twitter
Live Stream: Stream 1 | Stream 2