Brady Finds Plenty Of Targets In 27-20 Win Over Texans
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady didn't have any trouble finding receivers to throw to in the New England Patriots' opener.
The reigning NFL MVP completed passes to eight players in a 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday, connecting with Rob Gronkowski and Phillip Dorsett for seven receptions and a touchdown apiece.
"We try to spread it around quite a bit," said Brady, who was 26 of 39 for 277 yards and three scores. "If you're out there, I trust you, the coaches trust you, the team trusts you. That's why we're putting you out there."
After losing Danny Amendola to free agency and Julian Edelman to a four-game suspension, the Patriots were expected to be hobbled by a lack of targets for the three-time NFL MVP. This year's corps was being compared to the one in 2006, when Reche Caldwell led the team with 63 receptions (and caught only 15 more the rest of his career).
Brady hit Gronkowski for 123 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown three plays after Deshaun Watson fumbled a handoff at the Texans 19 on Houston's first offensive play. They also connected on a 28-yard pass during a 2-minute drill that left the Patriots with a 21-6 halftime lead.
"It's very important that they came out and played the way they did. They're our leaders," said Dorsett, who had 66 receiving yards, including a 4-yard score. "When they play well, they give an adrenaline boost to the rest of the team."
It was Gronkowski's 31st career regular-season or playoff game of 100 yards or more, tying Tony Gonzalez's NFL record.
"We've been playing together for a long time," Brady said. "I know his body language. I know his ability to run and what routes. He can do it. He can do really all the routes. It's just a matter of giving him a chance, and it came with a big touchdown today."
The 41-year-old quarterback also found James White for a touchdown; he also had an interception on a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who missed the final nine games last season with a torn right ACL, completed 17 of 35 passes for 176 yards, one score and one interception.
Watson struggled to move the team in the first 40 minutes, managing just a pair of field-goal drives before Alfred Blue ran it in from 1 yard to make it 24-13 in the last two minutes of the third period. Lamar Miller ran 20 times for 98 yards for Houston.
A muffed punt by New England's Riley McCarron with under five minutes left set up Watson's 5-yard TD pass to Bruce Ellington and cut the deficit to 27-20. But after getting the ball back at their 1 with 43 seconds left, the Texans failed to reach midfield.
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