Pats @ Texans First Half Thoughts

As the New England Patriots head into halftime of their Sunday Night matchup with the Houston Texans, up 17-6, hear are some first half thoughts:

Gronk Is Back- Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was, to the surprise of many, ruled active for today's game earlier in the day. Not only is he active, but the big man is playing, albeit sparingly. Gronk was much more than just a decoy in the first half, making three catches for 52 yards and a score. As of now, his knee appears to be holding up just fine and his addition to the offense is clearly a boost.

Pats Defense Holding Steady- With the exception of a poor read by cornerback Malcolm Butler and a big run play, the Patriots defense has played well through the first half of action tonight. They've limited Houston's top receiving target DeAndre Hopkins to one catch, by sticking cornerback Logan Ryan on him, with help over the top. They've also kept the Texans out of the end zone on each drive that they've got the ball into New England territory. By holding Houston to field goals, they're giving the offense more leeway, as they still try to get this skeleton offense going.

Offense Figuring It Out- Even with Gronkowski and Danny Amendola back in the offensive mix, New England struggled in the early going of the game. It took a little while for quarterback Tom Brady to get his troops going, but by the end of the half they seemed to figure it out as they threw 17 points on the board.

Blount Force Trouble- Of course it wouldn't be a Patriots game this year unless an important player got injured. This week's banged up Pat is running back LaGarrette Blount, who came up lame after a 6-yard run on first down midway through the second quarter. Blount did get up and walk to the sideline on his own, but he was brought back to the locker room for x-rays on his hip and is questionable to return. Prior to leaving the game Blount had been playing well, as he had carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards. With the big back out, New England is down to just two backs, Brandon Bolden and James White, left at the position in this game.

Double Down- The Pats were able to score just before the half as Brady hit Gronkowski on a fade from a yard out to put them up by 11. That score is big, as they now have a chance to double up on the Texans if they can score on their first possession of the second half.