David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans started the game off by knocking the wind out of the New England Patriots a little bit with a kickoff return that put the Texans in the red zone for their first offensive possession of the game. Fortunately, for New England, it resulted in only three points for Houston.
By the midway point of the first quarter, a little more air was taken out of the Patriots when running back Danny Woodhead and tight end Rob Gronkowski both left the game with injuries.
Woodhead injured his thumb, and was said to be questionable for a return. Gronkowski seemed to aggravate the forearm injury that kept him out for a significant period of time during the regular season, and is also said to be questionable to return to the game.
Though quarterback Tom Brady does have many other weapons on offense, having Gronkowski and Woodhead on the field would make things a bit easier going up against a Texans defense that is one of the best in the NFL.
If Gronk and Woodhead are unable to return, then tight end Aaron Hernandez will have to step up, and running back Shane Vereen will have to come up big in relieving starting running back Stevan Ridley.
For the sake of New England, let’s hope the early exits of Gronkowski and Woodhead won’t take all of the wind out of their sails, because they have a lot of football to play in this divisional match-up against the Texans. Also, in the event that the Patriots advance to the AFC Championship, let’s hope that these injuries aren’t significant enough to sideline them for next week.
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