PLAYERS:
Aqib Talib,
Andre Johnson,
Alfonzo Dennard,
Bill Belichick,
Devin McCourty,
Steve Gregory,
Kyle Arrington,
Owen Daniels,
James Casey,
Tavon Wilson,
Arian Foster,
Reggie Bush,
Vince Wilfork
TEAMS: New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins
TEAMS: New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins
The Patriots’ pass defense has improved since Aqib Talib came to Foxboro, but surprisingly, he’s been the weak link in the New England secondary.
It will be key for Talib to play the best game of his brief Patriots career while he’s matched up against the Texans’ star wide receiver, Andre Johnson. After an off year plagued by injuries in 2011, Johnson has come roaring back this season, especially in the last three weeks. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound wide out caught 14 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown three weeks ago against the Jaguars, and continued that dominance on Thanksgiving, catching nine passes for 188 yards against the Lions.
Since the Patriots’ cornerbacks don’t typically shadow one receiver, Talib will only have to cover Johnson half the game, but if he’s not careful, he could get burned. Since coming over from Tampa Bay, Talib has allowed 17 receptions for 257 yards and two touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus. Andrew Luck, Mark Sanchez and Ryan Tannehill completed...
THE BACKYARD
BEST OF MAXIM
AROUND THE WEB
RELATED ARTICLES
siphotos: Tom Brady celebrates after running for a first down...
siphotos:
Tom Brady celebrates after running for a first down during the third quarter of Monday’s Texans-Patriots game. Brady threw four touchdown passes as New England won in a route, 42-14. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
BANKS: Patriots deliver message with dominating winGALLERY: Rare Photos of Tom Brady
Kyle Arrington Has Been Able to Excel in Slot Role Since Aqib Talib Joined Patriots
You may have noticed a change in the Patriots’ defense since Aqib Talib came to Foxboro and started playing cornerback for the now 10-3 team. The pass defense has improved dramatically.
Some of that may be due to Talib’s talents, but the biggest improvement has come from Kyle Arrington in the slot. Before Talib came around, Arrington was expected to start at right cornerback...
Patriots CB Aqib Talib Leaves Game Vs Texans With Hip Injury
Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib has left Monday nights game against the Houston Texans with a hip injury.
The Patriots say Talib is questionable to return.
Talib was hurt when he dived to knock away a pass across the middle late in the first half.
The Patriots acquired Talib from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month while he was serving a four-game suspension for violating...
Patriots hoping for return of two key players
With six straight victories and their fourth consecutive AFC East title already wrapped up, the New England Patriots are playing perhaps their best football of the season.
And a large chunk of their recent run has come without two of their top players.
So, imagine the big boost the Patriots will receive from having one of their best players on each side of the ball return for what...
Danny Woodhead Fumbles Straight Into Brandon Lloyd’s Diving Arms for Touchdown (Animation)
The ball was very much bouncing the right way for the Patriots on Monday night against the Texans.
Tom Brady tossed a checkdown to Danny Woodhead early in the fourth quarter, when Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt ran sixteen yards down the field to punch the ball out of the Patriots’ running back’s arms. Fortunately for New England, the ball bounced 13 yards down the field...
Donald Trump Tweets Good Luck to Patriots Head Coach ‘Bob’ Belichick
Apparently Donald Trump is a New England Patriots fan, yet, he doesn’t even know the head coach’s first name.
Trump attempted to tweet good luck to the Patriots’ owner, head coach and quarterback on Monday night, but accidentally called Bill Belichick, “Bob.” It seems that Trump got a case of the Meninos when he went to type his well wishes.
Calling Bill ‘Bob’ may not...
Wes Welker is Active
Wide receiver Wes Welker (ankle) is active for Monday Night Football vs. Houston.
Fantasy Spin:
Tight end Aaron Hernandez (ankle) and wideout Brandon Lloyd (knee) are active as well after carrying a questionable tag through the week.
Donald Trump wishes Patriots good luck, calls Bill Belichick ‘Bob’
Donald Trump had the right idea in mind when he wished the New England Patriots good luck before the team’s “Monday Night Football” game against the Houston Texans, but he made one mistake. He called Bill Belichick “Bob” for some reason:
Good Luck to Bob Kraft, Tom Brady and Coach Bob Belichick tonight.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2012
I guess Trump...
Patriots Show Stout Defense in Dominating Win over Texans
Patriots Show Stout Defense in Dominating Win over Texans : Here’s our live blog and wrap up...
The Patriots’ defense is championship caliber
Devin McCourty and the Patriots’ defense is championship caliber
The most impressive part about the New England Patriots ransacking of the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football wasn’t Tom Brady’s four touchdowns or Brandon Lloyd’s ability to beat man coverage or even the offensive line slowing down the vaunted Texans defensive line. What was happening on that side of the...
Logan Mankins, Chandler Jones active , Nick McDonald inactive
Courtesy the Patriots twitter account here are the inactives for the game. That means Logan Mankins, Chandler Jones and Brandon Bolden will all play - or at least be available for the game.Great news!
Another No-Win Game on Tap For Patriots
No tomato cans this week. Or next.
Make no mistake, tonight’s game against the Houston Texans is a tough one, no matter how Dan Shaughnessy might try to reverse-jinx you into thinking it’s going to be a Patriots cakewalk.
Much of last week on the airwaves, well, at least on a couple of shows was spent figuring out how to argue that this game also means nothing, or if it means...
Dolphins Feel Patriots Repeatedly Running Same Play 'Disrespectful'
The New England Patriots ran the ball on 13 out of 16 plays during a 7 minute drive in their win over the Dolphins last Sunday. The repetitive running plays bothered some Dolphins, Brian Biggane of the Palm Beach Post reports.
It was very disappointing, linebacker Karlos Dansby said Thursday. Instead of getting two yards they were getting four, and instead of us getting...
Patriots CB Aqib Talib Expected Back Sunday
According to a report from CSNNE, cornerback Aqib Talib should be ready to go for the Patriots on Sunday against the 49ers.
Talib left Monday night's win over the Texans late in the second quarter with a hip injury and did not return in the second half. It's unclear whether he could have returned had the game been more competitive.
One of the reasons the Patriots were...
Patriots' stout third-down offense to face tough test
BThe New England Patriots have put together some pretty impressive stats this season — averaging more than 35 points per game, boasting a plus-24 takeaway rating. Most impressive, however, many be the offense's success on third down. Since the mid-'90s, New England has put up some stellar numbers on third down, but it's never finished with higher than a 50 percent conversion...
NFL Forum Discussions
67 replies,
13 minutes ago
7 replies,
1 hour ago
5 replies,
2 hours ago
18 replies,
12 hours ago
14 replies,
17 hours ago
3 replies,
17 hours ago
65 replies,
21 hours ago
| Latest Rumors | The Backyard | Going Viral |
|
|
Today's Best Stuff |
For BloggersJoin the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money. |
Company Info |
Help |
What is Yardbarker?Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond. |












|
December 11, 2012










