Patriots didn’t have too much trouble with Houston, which wasn’t a surprise. They beat them 27-0 in the regular season, and the playoff game was only nominally more competitive. The Texans played better and got three turnovers, causing the game to extend into the fourth quarter.
But ultimately, the Patriots were simply better.
Fantasy wise, I thought the biggest takeaway was Dion Lewis. He’s quicker and more explosive than LeGarrette Blount. Blount should score more touchdowns during the remaining games of the postseason, but I think Lewis will finish with more yards each week.
And the Texans go into the postseason with some major questions. What are they supposed to do with Brock Osweiler, who’ll count $16 million against the cap in 2017. It doesn’t look like he can be salvaged. And can Will Fuller cut down on the drops? Or is he just going to be another Troy Williamson.
The game Saturday was the 10th since the merger in 1970 between opponents involved in a shutout in the regular season. In four of the previous meetings (in bold), the regular season shutout victim turned things around in the postseason. That was never going to happen in this one.
| MEETING AFTER REGULAR SEASON SHUTOUT | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Teams | Regular Season | Playoffs |
| 1974 | Pitt.-Oak. | Raiders 17-0 | Steelers 24-13 |
| 1981 | Buff.-NYJ | Bills 31-0 | Bills 31-27 |
| 1982 | Mia-N.E. | Patriots 3-0 | Dolphins 28-13 |
| 1989 | Pitt.-Hou. | Oilers 27-0 | Steelers 26-23 (OT) |
| 1991 | Wash.-Det. | Washington 45-0 | Washington 41-10 |
| 1993 | K.C.-Hou. | Oilers 30-0 | Kansas City 28-20 |
| 2009 | NYJ-Cin. | Jets 37-0 | Jets 24-14 |
| 2009 | Dall.-Phil. | Cowboys 24-0 | Cowboys 34-14 |
| 2014 | Ind.-Cin. | Colts 27-0 | Colts 26-10 |
| 2016 | N.E.-Hou. | Patriots 27-0 | Patriots 34-16 |
—Ian Allan