To call the New England Patriots’ performance against the Houston Texans a statement would seem to cheapen what happened on the Gillette Stadium turf Monday night. It was more like the Patriots took their banners off the rafters, put them on the 50-yard line, and rubbed the Texans’ collective nose in it before a national audience.
By winning 42-14, New England (10-3) not only let the Texans (11-2) know that it is still the team to beat in the AFC, it also sent a message that its Super Bowl aspirations shouldn’t be taken lightly.
After showing incremental improvements on both sides of the ball against inferior competition throughout the second half of the season, there’s little doubt about where the Patriots stand after Monday night’s rout.
When the game turned: It didn’t take long for New England to take control. After the Pats scored a quick touchdown, Houston was driving back when S Devin McCourty intercepted a Matt Schaub pass intended for Kevin Walter in the end zone. New England shot back and turned the mistake into a 14-0 lead.
Highlight moments: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady dropped a pass over the head of Houston CB Brandon Harris and into the arms of newly signed WR Donte’ Stallworth for a 63-yard touchdown. … New England WR Wes Welker made a nice diving catch for a 25-yard gain on a seam route to set up the first touchdown. … In the fourth quarter, in perhaps a play that summarized the whole game, Houston DE J.J. Watt punched the ball out of Pats RB Danny Woodhead’s hands. But instead of the desired result, New England WR Brandon Lloyd recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to make it 35-7.
Top-shelf performances:
- Patriots QB Tom Brady -- Another solid game by Brady, who finished 21 of 35 passing for 296 yards and four touchdowns.
- Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd -- After catching one pass last week, Lloyd came back in a big way with seven catches for 89 yards and a TD.
- Patriots DT Vince Wilfork -- The numbers may not jump off the page, but he was an absolute force in the middle of the line and may have had his best game of the season. He helped limit Texans RB Arian Foster’s impact, recorded a sack for a 20-yard loss and forced a fumble.
What they said about the Patriots' victory:
- Patriots DT Vince Wilfork -- “You would like (to win like this), but no way I thought that we would shut them down. But I know at the same time if we played well, we were capable of anything.”
- Houston WR Andre Johnson -- “It was a good ass-whipping.”
- Patriots coach Bill Belichick -- “That’s a good locker room in there right now. Those guys are real happy about the way they played, and should be. They really did a good job all the way across the board.”
Numbers you should know: It was the 18th time in Brady’s career that he threw for four or more touchdown passes in a game. … Welker, who was filling in for the injured Julian Edelman, returned four punts for 50 yards.
Injury update: Patriots -- CB Aqib Talib hurt his hip on a near interception in the second quarter and did not return. CB Alfonzo Dennard suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. Texans -- No announced injuries.
Going forward: Patriots -- The good feelings won’t last for long with the San Francisco 49ers up next. It’s immediately back to work for the Pats. Texans -- The loss hurts, but the Texans have winnable games against the Indianapolis Colts (two) and the Minnesota Vikings.
Nick Underhill covers the Patriots for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter @CBSPats or @Nick_Underhill.
Follow Texans blogger Sean Bielawski on Twitter @CBSTexans.