FOXBORO -- Here are five quick-hitting thoughts from what transpired between the Patriots and Texans in the 2018 season-opener...
PATRIOTS THE ONES BRINGING HEAT
The Patriots defensive line looked vastly improved this summer, and they looked vastly improved on Sunday when the snaps actually mattered. Trey Flowers picked up a sack after sitting out most of the summer to rest. Deatrich Wise had a sack and a half. Lawrence Guy -- who was a terror all afternoon -- also picked up a half sack. Malcom Brown had a quarterback hit. Flowers had a pair of hits that didn't result in sacks. Guy had a hit. Wise had one. Ja'Whaun Bentley had one. It was a party in the Texans backfield, essentially. Flowers and Guy combined for a late sack near the goal line in the fourth quarter when the Texans opted not to block Flowers.
BRADY WELL-PROTECTED . . . FOR A WHILE
The Texans present issues for just about any offensive line, but the Patriots handled their responsibilities in protection early. Brady wasn't hit until nine minutes into the third quarter. It wasn't perfect after that. He was hit on three of four drop-backs spanning the end of the third and the start of the fourth. Then he was sacked mid-way through the fourth when Shaq Mason and David Andrews didn't communicate well enough on the interior. JJ Watt beat LaAdrian Waddle for another sack in the fourth. By and large, though? OK day up front against a talented front-seven.
GILMORE UP AND DOWN IN MAN COVERAGE
This time last year, the Patriots were trying to work zone coverages. They had tough-to-execute rotations based on motions and shifts. They played some zone on Sunday, but we also saw them run a lot of man-to-man with Stephon Gilmore -- who had a hell of a time trying to figure things out early last year -- on DeAndre Hopkins. Gilmore looked good, especially early on. His coverage helped Watson hold the football and allow the pass-rush to get home. Gilmore didn't get beat deep, and the Patriots defense held Houston to six first-half points. In the second quarter, Gilmore had a pass breakup and he was deep to pick off a Watson pass (which was almost picked by Eric Rowe) in the end zone. He was also in close coverage on an incompletion to Hopkins in the end zone with the Texans threatening late in the fourth quarter. Gilmore had a pair of penalties in the fourth, though, that really hurt. He was flagged for a hold that tacked on yardage to a Watson run. He was then called for a hold on Hopkins in the end zone that gave the Texans an automatic first down. Not what you're looking for. Two plays later the Texans scored to make it 27-20.
HILL INJURY A TOUGH ONE
Jeremy Hill suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of the game in the third quarter.The Patriots' biggest back saw four carries for 25 yards before he collided with James Develin on a Texans fumble return that sent him to the turf for several moments. Medical personnel were focused on his right knee. Rex Burkhead saw the majority of the work (16 carries) out of the backfield for the Patriots, but Hill figured to be a factor in short-yardage and at the goal line. Now it looks like he'll be gone for a while, if not the entirety of the season. The Patriots released Mike Gillislee, who was in competition for a spot with Hill in camp, before the start of the season. Gillislee has since been signed by the Saints.
McCARRON NOT THE ANSWER ON PUNT RETURNS
Riley McCarron was promoted to the active roster for several reasons. Among them, a) he provided a thin receiving corps with some depth, b) he knows the offense, making him a better candidate for playing time than newcomer Chad Hansen, and c) he has been catching punts all summer. That final bullet point may have only been relevant for a week because it would seem dangerous for the Patriots to continue to run him out in a returner role. He fair-caught a punt at his own three-yard line in the first quarter. He muffed another late in the fourth that helped set up a Texans score that brought their deficit down to just seven points. Other return options on the Patriots roster are Patrick Chung (three career punt returns), Chris Hogan (zero) and Cordarrelle Patterson (one).