New England turned the ball over three times in their win over the Texans.
It wasn’t always easy for the New England Patriots offense on Sunday.
In a snowy Gillette Stadium, the Patriots turned the ball over three times and ended eight drives in punts. However, they ultimately did enough to find the end zone three times to help punch their ticket to the AFC Championship Game with a 28-16 win over the Houston Texans.
Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who finished the day with four receptions and a score, believes the win comes with a valuable lesson.
“I think we learned a lesson a lot about ourselves, about our adversity,” Diggs said. “We talked a lot about it during the week, that a fight ain’t a fight until you meet resistance, until they swing back, and they definitely were swinging back the whole time. So, being able to weather the storm and come out with a W, I just feel like I’m thankful.”
One drive that didn’t even end in points highlighted the resilient performance for Diggs.
With a 12-point lead and just under 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Houston pinned New England’s offense at their own four-yard line. The Patriots ran 10 plays — including four straight runs to Rhamondre Stevenson — before they ultimatley had to punt.
But, the unit bled nearly six minutes off the play clock and flipped field position in what head coach Mike Vrabel called a “classy drive.”
“We had some good plays, we had some bad plays, but that drive in the fourth quarter when they knew we were running the ball and we ate up like six, seven minutes of the clock,” Diggs said. “Even though it ended with a [punt], that meant a lot. We drove 40 yards and we were running the ball. They knew we were running the ball. It said a lot about our o-line. I know we’ve got some guys banged up or some guys dealing with some stuff. And Rhamondre continues to show up.”
The Patriots will use that drive and the lessons learned as they move on to the AFC Championship Game, something that did not fully sink in yet for Diggs — and he doesn’t hope it will as it’s quickly back to work.
“We’re going to enjoy it for the next eight hours. They’ve got a day on us right now, recovery-wise, so I think the biggest thing for us is to come in and try to be better,” Diggs said. “We have some things that we left out there, but coming out with the win means everything. I’d rather win and learn a lesson than lose. We talked about that earlier in the season. So, it hasn’t sunk in, and I hope it doesn’t. I want to just move on – move on to the next. Be thankful for where we are, but we’ve got to get another one.”
Category: General Sports
