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The last two minutes of the first half are a danger zone for opponents of the New England Patriots.
Last season, the Patriots scored during that period in 14 of their 19 games, including the playoffs. Six of those scores before halftime were touchdowns, including touchdowns in the divisional round and the AFC championship game. (James White's Super Bowl LII touchdown missed the list as he came in with 2:04 remaining in the second quarter.)
This trend continued on Sunday with the Patriots' 27 to 20 win over the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Here's a detailed look at how New England, who led 14-6 at the time, pushed 78 yards in 74 seconds to finish the first half with what turned out to be a touchdown pass:
1:29 remaining
First and Ten of New England 22
Midfielder Jeremy Hill appeared to place the Patriots in a prominent position when he partially blocked a Trevor Daniel kick. immediately implemented to remedy the situation, however, crossing the A gap for 8 yards on the first try.
The Texans started the race with six defensive backs on the field, allowing New England, lined up in I-formation with James Develin back in front of Hill and winger Rob Gronkowski, to cross a lane. relatively easy. . There also seemed to be some confusion on the Houston side before the end of the match.
"I think it's both that we are in the wrong staff and that we are aware of it," Tyrann Mathieu told the press. "We have to do a better job to line up and play the ball of gap assignment."
1:11 remaining
Second and Second New England 30
Recognizing their personal advantage, the Patriots rushed to the line and performed the same game again, with Hill taking a handoff inside and heading to the sideline for an 11-yard gain. Back Joe Thuney (# 62) gave the decisive block to defensive tackle Angelo Blackson in the spring.
Hill also came out of bounds to stop the clock, which was important given that the Patriots had only a dead time remaining.
Tony Romo, CBS excitable commentator, applauded calls from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels after the race.
"It's amazing," Romo said on the game broadcast. "I have never seen anyone train (in two minutes), except outside the clock. They do it because it gives them the best chance of moving the ball against that forehead in these situations. "
Unfortunately for the Patriots, Hill suffered a rip of the ACL later in the game, which will put him out for the rest of the season.
1:05 remaining
First and Tenth of New England 41
Both teams replaced Hill's race, with the Texans having deployed their nickel defense (five DBs) and the Patriots bringing halfbacks Rex Burkhead and White to the field instead of Hill and Develin. They lined up left and right of quarterback Tom Brady in the shotgun, and Gronkowski went to the slot, just inside the catcher Chris Hogan.
Linebacker Bernardrick McKinney and cornerback Aaron Colvin dubbed Gronkowski while he was tearing the seam, but neither one nor the other could prevent the All-Pro marksmanship from capturing 28 yards.
The replays revealed that Gronkowski may not have had full possession of the ball, but the Patriots rushed to the line and played their next game before the replay leader in New York requested a video review. .
Colvin thought the Texans had been stolen from the game, and head coach Bill O'Brien admitted on Monday that he should have used one of the three remaining timeouts from Houston to increase his chances of being criticized.
"Having 20 to 20 years of thinking … I would have surely taken a time out to see if they would at least see the room," O'Brien told reporters, via ProFootballTalk.
O'Brien added that after seeing the rebroadcast, he agreed with the call on the ground.
0:45 remaining
First and Ten Houston 31
In accelerated mode, Brady gave way to Burkhead, who broke a tackle in the backfield but lost the ball when he was hit by Kareem Jackson's safety. Fortunately for New England, the ball landed directly at the feet of Hogan, who jumped on him near the original line of scrimmage.
At this point, the Patriots called their last timeout.
0:32 remaining
Second and ninth of Houston 30
Coming out of the break, Brady started feeding Phillip Dorsett, who was in the middle of his best Patriots uniform match.
In second place, Dorsett made a deep pass just after the first scorer against corner veteran Johnathan Joseph, who gave him a 10-yard cushion. Brady released the ball while Dorsett came out of the break, and the wide made a nice catch before falling out of bounds.
0:27 left
First and Ten Houston 18
The whites broke off on the left side and tried to beat linebacker Zach Cunningham of the Texans – who fought Gronkowski and Patriots defensemen throughout the afternoon – with a double shot, but the pass from Brady remained incomplete in the 5-meter line.
This was the only unfinished Brady on the drive.
0:23 remaining
Second and tenth Houston 18
Remember that this coin produced a 12-yard reception from Dorsett? The Patriots ran an identical after incompleteness to White, only returned. Dorsett lined up on the right side this time and beat the Kevin Johnson corner with the same depth, earning a 14-yard gain and a first run for the Texans.
0:19 left
First and Houston goal 4
Finally, the Patriots positioned Gronkowski on the right and signaled Dorsett to make left-wing trips. In the blink of an eye, Colvin followed McCarron on a slope, Joseph followed Hogan into the dish and Jackson moved back to double Gronk, leaving Johnson 1-in-1 with Dorsett.
Dorsett ran 5 meters past the goal line, planted his right foot and broke down to the sideline.
Johnson, who had leverage over the game, has no chance to stay with him. Brady spent an easy pass on Cunningham's outstretched arm for Dorsett's first touchdown as a patriot, giving New England a 21-6 lead in the locker room.
"The blanket we have (practiced against) all week, they were in the same blanket," said Dorsett. "And I knew that if we made the right game and if I escaped, I would be able to be open. I just had to capture. "
See the highlights of the player in the video below.
Click for more movie review Patriots-Texans >>
Vignette via Greg M. Cooper / USA TODAY HUI Sports Images
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