Watch: Texans' bizarre punt attempt vs. Patriots fails miserably

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It wasn't quite Indianapolis Colts-level, but the Houston Texans' fake-punt-that-wasn't Sunday against the New England Patriots was still a head-scratcher.

Facing a fourth-and-2 on their own 31-yard line with a 22-9 lead in the third quarter, the Texans did ... this.

Houston appeared to be attempting a fake punt when punter Cameron Johnston came closer to the line of scrimmage and a Texans player motioned from his gunner spot to the right of the center.

Johnston then moved back to his punter position, apparently trying to catch the Patriots without a deep return man. Instead? He drilled his own lineman in the helmet with a low line drive punt, which skittered out of bounds for a grand total of zero yards.

We understand the premise of what Houston was trying to do. But that was the worst possible time to do it: New England had essentially zero momentum at that point, and the Texans essentially woke them out of their funk with some unnecessary trickery instead of pinning the Patriots back in their own territory with a 13-point lead.

New England only got a field goal on its ensuing possession, but if they can mount a comeback at NRG Stadium, Houston's not-so-fake punt -- which was dialed up by Texans special teams coach and former Patriots scout Frank Ross -- deserves plenty of scrutiny.

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