Brady Bunch Win in Houston

Tom Brady got Rob Gronkowski back and it helped the New England Patriots return to the win column and clinch a playoff spot. Brady threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns and the Patriots snapped a two-game skid with a 27-6 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday night.

The Patriots (11-2) moved ahead of the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals in the race for the top AFC playoff seed and can clinch the AFC East with one win, or with one loss or tie by the New York Jets. New England haven’t lost three straight games since 2002.

Brady threw TD passes to Keshawn Martin and Gronkowski in the first half to help New England build a 17-6 lead. Gronkowski had four receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown in his return after missing last week’s game with a knee injury.

The Patriots didn’t move the ball as well in the second half, but the defense harassed Brian Hoyer into multiple mistakes. Jabaal Sheard had strip sacks on Hoyer twice after halftime. The Patriots recovered the second one early in the fourth, and James White made it 27-6 with a two-yard run three plays later.

Hoyer was sacked five times and left the game to be evaluated for a concussion with about nine minutes remaining. The quarterback already missed a game this season after getting a concussion on 16 November. Hoyer was 11 of 22 for 155 yards.

The Texans (6-7) recovered a fumble and forced two punts by the Patriots in the third quarter, but weren’t able to take advantage of any of those opportunities and entered the fourth quarter trailing 20-6. JJ Watt played despite breaking his left hand in practice on Wednesday. He wore a cast that enclosed his fingers in a club-like ball.

The Texans won two challenges on plays that were called receptions on New England’s first drive of the second half, forcing the Patriots to kick a 49-yard field goal to make it 20-6.

Houston were forced to punt on their next possession, but Martin fumbled the return and the Texans recovered on the New England 21. But the Texans couldn’t move the ball and turned it over after a failed fourth-down attempt.

The Texans were driving again later in the third when Hoyer fumbled and the Patriots recovered. Houston challenged the call and it was overturned, but he actually fumbled on the next play on a sack by Sheard. The Texans recovered but lost 10 yards on the play and had to punt again.

Gronkowski simply outjumped Quintin Demps to grab a one-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to extend New England’s lead to 17-6.

The Patriots took a 7-0 lead when former Texan Martin got away from rookie Kevin Johnson and was wide open in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown. That score was set up when Brady threw across his body and on the run to Gronkowski for a 45-yard gain earlier in the drive. Gronkowski was open after linebacker Whitney Mercilus fell trying to cover him.

The Texans cut the lead to 7-3 on a 37-yard field goal by Nick Novak in the first quarter. New England got a 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter to make it 10-3.

Jonathan Grimes had a 37-yard run on Houston’s next drive, but the offense stalled soon after that and the team settled for a 45-yard field goal to get within 10-6.

Last year’s top overall pick Jadeveon Clowney had two sacks for the first multiple sack game in his career with Houston.

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Denver Deflate Brady's Patriots

Tom Brady lost yet another one of his trusted targets and this time he also lost a game.

CJ Anderson scored on a 48-yard run with 12:32 left in overtime, powering the Denver Broncos past the New England Patriots 30-24 on a snowy Sunday night.

Watching from the cozy indoors at field level was Peyton Manning as Brock Osweiler and the Broncos (10-2) overcame a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit and handed the Patriots (11-1) their first loss since 2014. “It didn’t look good at times,” Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said, “but we figured out a way to get it done.”

Now, the Carolina Panthers (11-0) are the NFL’s only remaining unbeaten team.

Osweiler threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Bubba Caldwell with 1:09 left in regulation to put the Broncos up 24-21. But Brady, playing without injured star tight end Rob Gronkowski, needed just five plays to drive the Patriots 51 yards and into range for Stephen Gostkowski’s 47-yard field goal that tied it at the end of regulation.

New England won the coin toss and elected to receive, but thanks to a sack by Von Miller, Denver forced a three-and-out. Then, on third-and-one from the New England 48, Anderson raced around the left sideline and into the north end zone.

Gronkowski injured his right knee with 2:49 left in regulation and was carted off. There was no immediate word on his status.

Anderson rushed for 113 yards and two TDs on 15 carries. Overall, the Broncos ran for 179 yards, particularly impressive given their two-touchdown deficit for much of the first half and their 21-7 hole they found themselves in after Brady threw a 63-yard scoring pass to Brandon Bolden on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Patriots managed just 39 yards on 16 carries, however.

Osweiler improved to 2-0 since taking over for Manning. He completed 23 of 42 passes for 270 yards with one TD and one interception. Brady also was 23 of 42 for 280 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Both were sacked three times.

Brady’s three TD tosses put him in a tie with Dan Marino for third on the career list. But with Manning sitting this one out in a walking cast on his left foot, the greatest quarterback rivalry was put on hold — perhaps forever. Instead of a 17th meeting between the QB greats, it was Brady versus Osweiler, which doesn’t have the same Hall of Fame ring to it.

It still had plenty of panache.

Demaryius Thomas, who didn’t catch any of the first 11 balls thrown his way, hauled in a 36-yard pass to midfield just before the 2-minute warning and Osweiler hit Emmanuel Sanders for 39 yards to the 8 before finding Caldwell in the end zone to give Denver its first lead of the night.

Things looked bleak after Bolden’s TD made it 21-7 and New England’s defense forced a punt. But Chris Harper muffed the punt and Shaq Barrett recovered for Denver at the Patriots 36. That led to Anderson’s 15-yard TD run.

The Broncos again drove downfield and reached the New England three, but they settled for Brandon McManus’s 21-yard field goal with 6:08 left to make it 21-17.

Both teams went three-and-out and the Patriots were moving downfield when Gronkowski got hurt. He was carted off with 2:49 left after injuring his right knee on an incompletion when safety Darian Stewart sliced across his body and hit his right knee — a clean hit.

Star pass rusher DeMarcus Ware missed the game with a bad back and Denver lost two more members of the league’s top-ranked defense on one play in the first quarter. Pro Bowl safety TJ Ward and nose tackle Sylvester Williams suffered ankle injuries on New England’s first run when LaGarrette Blount managed two yards. Ward and Williams were in walking boots after the game. Neither returned, nor did right guard Louis Vasquez (groin), who went out in the second quarter.

Without receivers Julian Edelman (foot), Danny Amendola (knee) and Aaron Dobson, who went on injured reserve last week with an ankle injury, Brady relied on his big tight ends.

He hit Gronkowski from 23 yards out and Scott Chandler from 9 yards for a 14-0 lead. Gronkowski, who was held to two harmless catches against Buffalo last week, was single covered and easily scored when safety Darian Stewart went for the swipe instead of the tackle. Chandler sped past Miller in coverage and scored easily when safety David Bruton Jr was slow to slide over.

Gronkowski’s TD followed a 25-yard punt that gave Brady’s banged-up team great field position at the Denver 47, and Chandler’s came after Chandler Jones’ interception at the Denver 15.

Denver cut the deficit to 14-7 at the half on Ronnie Hillman’s 19-yard TD run with 2:07 left in the second quarter. It came one play after linebacker Dont’a Hightower hobbled off with a knee injury.

“After Ronnie’s first touchdown, he came to me and said, ‘Now, you’re going to grind it out and get all the glory,’” Anderson said.

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