Belichick still respects Houston

Remember last year when Houston and New England created a big buzz? Houston came to Gillette twice - once on Monday Night Football and once in the divisional round of the playoffs. The first time was a Patriots blowout, 42-14. The 2nd game was a little closer, 41-28. Yet, through all of that and despite the Texans 2-9 season so far, Bill Belichick says that the Patriots can't take this match up lightly.

“I think that in spite of what their record is, they’ve played very competitively in recent weeks,” Belichick said. “They’ve lost several real close games — overtime game to Seattle and one-point game against Kansas City and played Indianapolis and Arizona tough (both three-point losses). . . . I think the talent and the competitiveness of this team is a lot more reflective of last year’s record than this year’s record.”
- from the Boston Herald

The Texans might be 2-9, but Bill has a point - this game could well be a trap game. It's a classic example of a game where one team has come off a huge win (the Patriots) vs a team in the darkest point of a long losing streak with nothing else to lose and the Patriots have to be wary of the hangover from the Denver game. The Texans may have done a complete 180 from last season, but this game could still be a trap. The Pats should keep their focus and if they do, they should be in good shape becase the Texans are in no shape right now (they suck on offense, as Andre Johnson put it).

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