Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Thursday: New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans in Week Five — 10/7/2021

Episode Date: October 8, 2021

It’s Crossover Thursday heading into Week Five of the the 2021 NFL Season. Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and Coty Davis and John Hickman of Locked On Texans as they preview this matchup between the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, October 10, 2021.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Thursday, October 7th, 2021. And because it's Thursday, it's Crossover Thursday. Time to cross the streams with our friends over at Lockdown Texans right here on your daily home for news, notes, and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Greetings and salutations, Pats fans, and thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day.

Remember, we're free and available on all platforms. My name is Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated. So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL.

And while you're out there doing some Thursday traveling through that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, at long last, it is finally time to put the images of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the rearview mirror. The Patriots have plenty to talk about now. That does not involve the defending Super Bowl champs or their seven-time winning Super Bowl quarterback who just happened to be our quarterback up here in New England for the last 20 years.

It's time to take a look at the Texans. And here today, it is crossover Thursday on the Locked On Podcast Network, which means my good friends and colleagues, Cody Davis and John Hickman of Locked On Texans will join me here on the hot seat. And we will be breaking down this week five matchup Sunday, October 10th, 1 p.m. Eastern NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas. Your New England Patriots will take on the hometown Houston Texans. And of course, there is an action-packed agenda on the pod every single time we cross the

streams with our good friends throughout the Locked On Podcast Network. And Cody and John put on a tremendous show, folks. I highly recommend checking out their pod if you haven't had a chance to do so. But definitely, you will be entertained and informed on all things Texans when it comes to today's crossover. So without much further ado, it is time to cross the streams Locked On Podcast Network style. Locked On Patriots, Locked On Texans, as Cody Davis and John Hickman

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RockAuto.com Welcome back again, Locked On Texans and Locked On Patriot listeners, viewers at home. Make sure you subscribe to both Locked On Texans and Locked On Patriots on YouTube. Also, make sure that you make

us your first listen every single day we thank you for making us your first listen Mike Dibiase from the Lockdown Patriots man welcome in I cannot wait you know Mike just bring it outside the show cuz you know my past man so I can't wait to talk about what's going on with New England but super excited to talk Texans and talk Patriots with you today absolutely always my honor and pleasure to join you guys thanks so much for doing the crossovers on with New England, but super excited to talk Texans and talk Patriots with you today. Absolutely. Always my honor and pleasure to join you guys. Thanks so much for doing the crossovers. We always look forward to these on the Lockdown Podcast Network, but there's something special when the Patriots and the Texans hook up. There's so much synergy between these two franchises, a lot of familiarity. So I've been looking forward to this one for a while. It's going to be a fun one.

Absolutely. And I kind of want to go ahead and get off right into it, Mike, if you don't mind. We both have got rookie quarterbacks. Yours was just drafted 15th overall. We got ours at 67th overall. We got a lot going on here in Houston, but specifically looking at Matt Jones, how confident is the offense with him right now the coaching staff the skill position players how confident is everybody not named chris collinsworth is in mac jones i've got to say

at the feeling in and around the locker room the coaching staff the fan base everybody seems to be on the mac jones train and that was really the case even before Sunday's game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A lot of fans were very happy with how Mac was being able to run the offense, the poise that he showed, the maturity that he showed. For all of the arguments and for all of the predictions that the Patriots were going to change their offense when they got rid of Tom Brady or when Tom Brady left, I should say, New England, big difference there, folks, that they were going to go to a more up-tempo, they were going to go to a more modern type of NFL offense. They're still running the same type of offense up here in New England,

predicated on quick throws, accurate throws, getting the ball where it needs to be, obviously picking up the pre-snap read very quickly, and delivering the ball accurately on time where only the receiver can get it. This is Mac Jones' specialty, and that's something that he's done very well up here in running that type of offense. On Sunday, a lot of people looked at Mac as like a coming-of-age type game for him. I thought, again, he showed a lot of maturity, a lot of poise. He attempted 40 passes that night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That eight

rushes of his own as well, two touchdown drives. And what was so impressive on these touchdown drives, guys, is he was able to control the tempo. He was able to make most of the opportunities provided to him by the pass protection. When the pass protection broke down, and unfortunately that happened often on Sunday, he was able to buy his own time. He was able to pick up the blitz, get rid of the ball on time, and make things happen. So if he continues to show that, he's going to gain more and more fans, not just from a Patriots perspective, but also from a national perspective. And his coaching staff has a lot of faith in him. His teammates have a lot of faith in him. Future is pretty bright for Mac Jones right now.

Speaking of Jones, Mike, coming into Sunday's game, it seemed like you guys are going to have a weakened offensive line because if I'm not mistaken, I think two or three of your offensive linemen are placed on the COVID-19 list. How big of a loss is that? And do you think a weakened offensive line is going to at least affect Mac Jones from what we have been able to see through the first, what has been four games so far in his career? Right. Yeah, that's definitely a concern, Cody. There's no question about it.

Look, bottom line, the New England Patriots right now have not done a great job of protecting Mac Jones. Mac has been under duress. He's been pressured on a lot of his dropbacks. He's been hit an awful lot. He's been sacked an awful lot. Despite all that, he's still been very accurate and still been very confident in his throws.

But the more they put him in peril, the worse things can get. And the more chance there is for things to go wrong for Mac. So it's definitely a concern. The left side of that offensive line right now, on the COVID-19 list like you said Isaiah Wynn their left tackle Michael Wainu their left guard these guys are competent and very good offensive linemen they've had their struggles in 2021 so far but they're still as capable as any

offensive lineman that the Patriots can put out there and really as capable as anyone else that you'll find in the league the right side also has been a problem. Trent Brown has not really taken many snaps. He got hit in the first series against the Miami Dolphins in week one, been out with a calf injury. He did not participate in practice on Wednesday, so that's a concern. Shaq Mason showed up on the injury list on Wednesday, so you're talking right now only center David Andrews is their fully healthy offensive line,

regardless of what the Patriots try to do offensively against the Texans. They're going to have a difficult time either running or passing if they don't have a competent offensive line to do the blocking. I'm glad you mentioned running. We're going to talk about the Gilmore trade. Trust. But I look at this team and I look at it in the 20-year span of Bill Belichick they have for the most part been able to be at least decent on the ground right now the Texans are not a good running team but the Patriots are second to last but only a little bit under 69 rusty yards per game how How, for this team and for the rookie quarterback, we just saw Coach Staley talk about how important it is to have a good run game earlier today.

How misfortunate has that been so far through four games? Yeah, it's been a rough go for the runners in New England right now. And look, this was a unit that was really supposed to be, John, one of their strongest units on the offense. People came into the season looking at Damian Harris as the feature back, potentially Sonny Michel as a number two, Ramondre Stevenson, the rookie, maybe getting the luxury of being redshirted. There was also J.J. Taylor in the mix.

Brandon Bolden was in the mix as well. James White being able to catch the ball out of the backfield. So many versatile runners for this New England Patriots team. And everybody thought this was going to take the pressure off of whoever the quarterback would have been, whether it be Cam Newton or even Mac Jones. It hasn't worked out that way. Damian Harris has really, I think, done the best he can. But again, the blocking on the offensive line has been abysmal.

Every single time Damian touched the ball on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was hammered at the line very quickly. Couldn't get any traction, couldn't get anything going. Now you look at the fact that Sonny Michel has been traded to the Los Angeles Rams. James White done for the year with a hip subluxation, which, you know, unfortunately is a very, very difficult blow to this team because James is not only a very effective runner, but he's also one of the best catchers of the ball out of the backfield in the NFL. So that changes the complexity.

Now behind Damian, you're looking at guys like Brandon Bolden, Ramondre Stevenson, and J.J. Taylor. Good players. Brandon has done a pretty good job. Ramondre and J.J. are still very green. They're having difficulty holding on to the football. And John, you know this as well as anybody. If you can't protect the football and a Bill Belichick-led team,

you can find yourself in what I'm calling double-secret probation very, very soon. You know, I will say this. Looking at the Texans and looking at the Patriots, there's always the Patriots of the South, the connection with Nick Casario. There's always these different storylines. But right now, going into Sunday's matchup, two rookie quarterbacks, both teams are unable to run the ball. Both teams are sitting there one and three.

Both teams have, I think, lackluster wide receiver core. There's so much familiarity and kind of a mirror there where a lot of folks may look at the Patriots and say, well, they may have their way with this Texan team. There's actually, I think, a chance for Houston to maybe pull it out, depending on how everything goes offensively, Mike. Yeah, I mean, there's definitely pros and cons to both sides right now. And look, Houston, I know, has had their issues as well coming off of a difficult game on

Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. But they're hitting this Patriots team at a time right now where there is some vulnerability on both sides of the ball, not just on the offensive line, which we've obviously discussed in depth and will continue to be an issue for them, but outside corner, outside JC Jackson still continues to be a question mark for this team. Jalen Mills has played pretty well, but are they going to be able to withhold that for a number of games moving forward? There are methods and there are ways to get to this team. So Houston's got as good a shot as anybody on Sunday, especially being at home. The Patriots have to come in ready for this game from a Pats perspective if they want to be

able to try to walk away with a win because Houston's going to be ready for them. Mike, really quick before flipping things over and talking about the Houston Texans, although we, even though if he was still on the team, he wasn't going to be part of the game on Sunday. Can you just share your thoughts about the Stephon Gilmore trade that took place on yesterday? Yeah, it was surprising without any question. I mean, there were starting to be rumblings throughout Patriots Nation that Stephon was likely probably entering his final season in New England. It didn't look like there was going to be a contract extension that could be reached. There was reports that the Patriots were shopping him as late as this coming this past Monday, that, you know, this coming week was going to be an interesting week.

But I don't think anybody saw the news about either the release or the imminent trade coming as quickly as it did on Wednesday. Bottom line, from a logistical perspective, Patriots took a look at this. They figured, well, okay, we're going to be able to at least get some sort of asset back for him, and they were able to trade him to the Carolina Panthers, which really is a great fit for Stephon. He's going into very talented secondary, a good defense, a team that's on the rise. So he'll be able to contribute and contribute to them right away once he comes up and is healthy. But for the Patriots' perspective, fans up here are upset. How could you just get a sixth-round pick for Stephon Gilmore? How could you let this go on and on and on?

What is really going on in New England right now? And I think a lot of people are upset about it so bottom line from a personal perspective i'm going to miss stefani he was really one of the best guys up here to be able to cover he was always forthcoming always easy going with the media um and very honest and very upfront and very approachable and that is going to be missed he was a pillar of the community in terms of what he did for charities up here in New England. Just one of the all-around good guys. And Carolina really got a good one.

But they're going to miss his presence on the field. That really is where this hurts the Patriots most. Having someone like a Stephon Gilmore to really anchor that cornerback depth chart and be able to be the solid number one to J.C. Jackson being the 1A would have really made this secondary very formidable. Without him in the lineup now, Patriots have some catching up to do, and we'll see what happens eventually. But yeah, it's still a little bit of a head scratcher, but I think the Patriots made the move that they thought they needed to make, and obviously if it wasn't going to work out why prolong the inevitable but why get a six round i'm sorry this is you the lockdown page

i'm sorry guys i just six round a six rounder back that's it for the 2019 defensive player of the year yeah okay all right yeah that's it's your your sentiment john believe me is echoed a lot up here i happen to agree with it you look at the return that they're getting on that. At the time that they were able to get it, once news was out there that he was going to be released, you knew the return was not going to be that great. So is this the best that the Patriots could do under those circumstances?

Probably, but the problem is it never should have gotten to this point, and that's what a lot of Patriots fans are upset about. Absolutely. Locked on, listeners. We're back and better than ever. All eyes are on the gridiron as teams are back to start another football season. As always, BetOnline.ag is your number one spot for all the pro and college football

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Bet online, your online sportsbook experts. Patriots fans and Texans fans, welcome back, and thank you for joining us here on this Locked On crossover episode. Thank you very much, both Locked On Texans fans and Locked On Patriots fans, for making the Locked On Podcast Network your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Podcast Network, all of our shows, free and available on all platforms. I'm Mike DeBate, host of the Locked On Patriots podcast,

and I am fortunate to be joined by John Hickman and Cody Davis, hosts of the Locked On Texans podcast. And that was in the previous segment, we talked about the Patriots. We talked a little bit about Mac Jones. We talked a little bit about Stephon Gilmore. We talked a little bit about what the Patriots need to do in order to try to remain competitive in their division. But at the same time, the Texans find themselves in similar territory, a one in three record coming off of a pretty difficult loss to the Buffalo Bills in week four. Gentlemen, I'll put the question to you

and I'll leave it to you guys, which one wants to answer it. When you look at the Texans right now, and you look at their progression under a rookie quarterback like Davis Mills, what do you expect from the Texans in this game coming up on Sunday against the New England Patriots, knowing that that secondary might be a little bit challenged, knowing now that Stephon Gilmore is not walking back through that door anytime soon. Cody, if you don't mind, I'll take it. Right now, I'm looking for the Texans to take advantage of opportunities that's given to them. A weakened offensive line for the

New England Patriots. They haven't been able to run the ball. So immediately don't be the team that allows them to rush for over 100 yards. Don't be that team that allows them to rush for over 100 yards. Don't be that team that allows them to have their offensive lineman to have a stout game. Don't be that team. Don't allow them to make an example out of you. And secondly, I'm looking at Lovie Smith, and Lovie Smith as a DC for Houston has caused some issues

for different style of quarterbacks, whether it be Sam Donald, the rookie Trevor Lawrence, even Josh Allen had a rough start to the Buffalo Bill game until he was able to wake up and put their 40 piece on our head. Right. So don't let up on that. Bill Belichick isn't going to let up on your rookie quarterback and Davis mill. So don't do that. Throw everything that you can at, excuse me, at Mac Jones who came off of a

great game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but let's face it they had to go sign Richard sermon because that secondary is weak right now they've lost so many different players and they needed an extra body with experience and I think that's why Mac Jones had his best game so far of his young and I believe a great career. Don't allow that for you guys to be a continuation. Okay, get up in his face, throw different blitz sets at him, make him uncomfortable, move him off his pivot and create turnovers, which is what we've been doing the entire year so far.

Absolutely. I think you make a very, very good point. And I'm glad you made the point about the secondary problems of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because that does contribute to a quarterback, even a rookie quarterback, someone with a lot of promise like Mac Jones, being able to look very efficient. If you can take advantage of some of the difficulties that these teams are having, don't forget they lost Carlton Davis in that game as well, midway through. So there are secondary issues. That's something that the Texans are going to have to be able to do in order to get after

Mack. And you know the Patriots need to be very cognizant of that. You also mentioned the run game as well. There's no question about it. Texans right now 28th in the league against the run, allowing 137 yards per game. But this is a team in the New England Patriots that just rushed for negative four yards on Sunday. So it could be the perfect storm for both sides.

And, you know, we'll see. We'll see, you know, everything that happens. Cody, I'm going to flip this one over to you now. And when the Texans running game, when you look at it on paper, this was a running game that really had impressed me in terms of what I thought this team was going to be capable of in the season, whether it be Mark Ingram, whether it be David Johnson, Philip Lindsay, a runner that I know very well and covered up here for New England for a couple of years, and Rex Burkhead, who's nursing an injury right now. His status is still very much in question on Sunday. These guys have the ability to keep opponents on their heels. Patriots haven't been exactly as stout as people would have hoped in stopping the run. Do you think, especially with a rookie quarterback like David Smills coming off of a

difficult game on Sunday, is this the key for the Texans to try to run the ball at the Patriots and test the middle of that interior of the defensive line? Nope. They're going to try, but they're not going to be affected by it. look you mentioned you know going into this season we thought that this was going to be a revamp and a better run game I mean we all thought that especially with the addition of Phillip Lindsey but Mark Ingram he has been the best running back that the Houston Texans have had throughout the season and outside the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and even the game against the Cleveland Brown as well, he hasn't given this team much. David Johnson has looked, matter of fact, a little bit worse than we saw last year.

And then Phillip Lindsey has been the biggest disappointment out of those three because we thought because he's the younger back. And plus, we knew that this was going to be a team that's going to rely heavy on their run game. We thought this was going to be an opportunity where Phillip Lindsey could come in and revamp his career and actually be a key piece moving forward in the Texans rebuild. And he hasn't done, I'm sorry to say this, a damn thing. As a matter of fact, he has been the worst out of the three. So with Davis Mills being in there, it kind of put the Houston Texans offense in a bind because going up against the Carolina Panthers, we saw them depend a lot on their run game. And after the game, David Cully came out and said that the reason why, well, one of the reasons why that they rely so much on a run game is because Davis Mills was literally thrown into the fire and they wanted to keep the chain on him. They did not want to run

their offense as if Tyrod Taylor was out there. They tried to do that against the Buffalo Bills, which I also think was a big mistake because you're looking at one of the best defensive teams in the league. They tried to do that against the Buffalo Bills and heading into halftime, they had a negative 22 in passing. They couldn't rely on their run game because their run game is the only reason why they had a total of four total yardage entering the second half so this offense is terrible no it doesn't matter if it's davis mills trying to you know connect with one of his targets we don't know what in the hell he's reading and it's it's unfortunate because all three of those running backs at one time or another there were

what pro bowl caliber running backs especially philip lindsay who's what two years removed from that honor we don't understand what is going on i mean the offensive line and their run blocking hasn't looked that great but one of those three three guys, they have to give the Houston Texans something. Yeah, very, very good point. And in terms of the running game, it's always good to hear the perspective of the guys that cover the team every day. Because obviously the perception from afar is you take a look at the names on this list and you start to say, OK, well, they've got a lot of different guys that can hurt you they get a lot of different guys that can do a lot but then you take a look at the productivity it hasn't exactly been what everyone had hoped

and it's really kind of a mirror image of what the new england patriots running game has been a lot of good names a lot of big time uh expectation but really the output has not been as good as most people would hope and you know who knows that may may end up being the recipe for a defensive slugfest on Sunday as well. Gentlemen, one more question before we get to some game predictions here before we close things out here on Locked On Crossover Thursday. Obviously, Davis Mills being a rookie quarterback. Obviously, New England has a penchant, especially Bill Belichick, of confusing young quarterbacks, showing them exotic looks, things that they haven't seen before.

Seeing ghosts. Yeah, see Darnold, Sam. Actually, Darnold's doing really well right now, so maybe those ghosts, maybe he's exercised the demons down in Carolina. But all kidding aside, Belichick has had a penchant for being able to confuse young quarterbacks. So at this point, is there a lot of concern with the Texans right now that that could end up being the same thing? Are there weapons on that offense that can help Davis Mills be able to maybe conquer some of those fears? Maybe a guy like Brandon Cooks, who we know very well up here from his time in New England, one of the more targeted receivers in the league. Is that the key or is, like John said earlier, is the key to Houston success being able to put pressure on Mac Jones,

especially with a guy like Whitney Merciless, who can get after the quarterback against a very porous offensive line? I think so. I think defensively is where Houston will win. Listen, so we started that game against Buffalo. Offensively got the ball first, didn't do a good job, but then we come back and Lonnie Johnson gets an interception and put Houston in perfect field position. I think they ended up right before the 10-yard line. Didn't score.

Needed seven against the Buffalo Bills. They scored all. But see, those are the type of opportunities that Houston has to create on Sunday. I don't think Houston has the office right now to create and win on long drives. I feel like Houston has an office that can between your 40 on down, then you'll be able to score. So I think field position is important for them and that's gonna call for defense to create turnovers, get stops when we need to, and special teams to come into play.

Give us some good returns, Andre Roberts, who has been very disappointing this year on punt returns, on special teams. Give us something so we can shorten that field for Davis Mill. The extension of your question about any offensive weapons outside of Brandon Cooks, the fans are not confident. The media isn't confident in everything that we've been sold during the offseason. Fair Brown had a very big game one against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's been virtually nonexistent since. Jordan Akins, who's a very good receiving tight end, he's been nonexistent.

Getting your running backs involved in the passing game, that hasn't been working out as well. So outside of Cooks, no, we're not confident in anybody else to create plays. Not at all. He is the number one guy. We had Nico Collins, but he's on IR. He won't be playing Saturday. I mean, sorry, Sunday. Danny Amend mandola status is up in the air i don't believe he'll play if he does how effective will he be not sure defense will be the key to this game in order to give houston any shot beating

you guys absolutely completely agreed and you know what i really think it is going to come down to the defenses in this game and uh gentlemen I think we've arrived at that point. If you're comfortable, maybe we can give our listeners here some some game predictions. Cody, I'll start with you. What are you looking for in this game? Your key to action and what's going to be the outcome? Talking about a key, John hit the nail right on the coffin. It's going to come down to the defense. A little bit more so on whether or not the Houston Texans defensive line can exploit a weakened offensive line for you guys, especially with a rookie quarterback in Mack Jones. But at the end of the day, this Texans offense, as John just said, the only person that we can actually

trust is Brandon Cooks, but we cannot trust a guy whose job it is to get Brandon Cooks the ball and that is Davis Mills and speaking of Davis Mills by the way I am interested to see what type of adjustments he's going to make to his game because he had a terrible game on Sunday it ended up being the worst start from Houston Texans starting quarterback in franchise history. And on yesterday, David Cully did mention that he actually had an opportunity to talk to Davis Mills and say, look, if your read isn't there, do not be afraid to throw the ball away. And he does seems like a lot of times he's trying to make something out of nothing. And that is when he

started throwing those interceptions. I believe he had like four against the Buffalo Bills. But at the end of the day, I'm not confident in Davis Mills. You can't rely on a run game. The secondary, it could be good one play. Then it could be the worst secondary you see two plays later, two series later. So with all that being said, plus I'm starting to believe in Mac Jones. I think I'm going to go Patriots 17, Houston Texans 7. John, what say you?

I think for me, the matchup that I'm looking forward to the most, and I think Houston has an opportunity to dominate viewers. Come on, Texas fans. Let's give something. Are the DM positions. And Roy Lopez, he's been dominated interior right now, but I'm looking at Jacob Martin. I'm looking at Jonathan Gennaro and Whitney Merciless,

our DNs to really be able to get after Matt Jones. Right. And I think if you do that, he's still a rookie quarterback with different coverages that should play in the favor of Houston. Shortening the field, like I mentioned, and then let's come on. Let's stay to our blocking assignments. Let's get to that second level. Let's not whiff on blocks, tight ends, Jordan Akers and Phil Browns. Let's not whiff on those blocks. We should get a hand on somebody. It's getting disgusting out there. Overall, I think this is

a game where I'm confident for the first time in a while, I will pick Houston 21-18. Interesting. Very cool. I think, and I also think- I did not see that, Mike. Listen, this is the last straw for me though, but I do, I do, I right now trust Lovey Smith to create those turnovers and shorten that field.

If that doesn't happen, I don't think Houston has a chance. But I think Mac Jones at least gives us two turnovers on Sunday. Yeah, I think in a lot of ways, Mac Jones is not necessarily a turnover machine, but that offensive line and the porousness of it right now and the uncertainty of it right now certainly concerns me. And to me, that's the key. If that offensive line is somewhat healthy and they can come in get stops and improve the run in the pass protection i like

the patriots chances in this one if they don't do that like john said levy smith is capable of forcing quarterbacks to turn the ball over and that could very easily happen max a good quarterback he's shown a lot of promise but he a rookie, and he will make mistakes if he continues to be hit as hard and pressured as hard as other teams have been able to do it. I think this is going to be a close game. I think this is going to be more of a defensive slugfest, like both of you gentlemen have said.

I'm going to go with my heart in this one, and I'm going to go with the Patriots, but I think if they pull this one out, it's only going to be by a field goal. I like the Pats in this one. It's 17-14 on Sunday. 17-14. 17-14, 21-18, and Cody, you have 17-7. Okay.

Well, gentlemen, thank you so much for joining me here today on Locked On Crossover Thursday. And listeners of Locked On Patriots and of Locked On Texans, thank you all for joining us here today on this crossover episode. The Houston Texans and the New England Patriots set to do battle Sunday, 1 p.m. Eastern, NRG Stadium, Houston Texans. The Pats and the Texans, always a lot of fun when these two teams hook up, and it's always a lot of fun when I get to share the microphone with you great gentlemen. Thank you so much.

He is Cody Davis. He is John Hickman, Locked On Texans. Fans of Locked On Patriots, guys out. They put on a phenomenal show each and every day, free and available on all platforms, as well as YouTube. And of course, Texans fans, I would appreciate the kind listen on Locked On Patriots. Again, free and available on all platforms. Thank you, gentlemen.

Stay safe and well. Have a great day. And again, free and available on all platforms. Thank you, gentlemen. Stay safe and well. Have a great day. And everyone, enjoy the game on Sunday. Just like that, Patriots fans, we are nearly through your work week, but we are not through with your Patriots coverage just yet. A very special guest here tomorrow on the pod to help bring it all home and help bring you right up to kickoff on Sunday at 1 p.m. as the Pats face the Texans in Houston at NRG Stadium. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe

to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts. Wherever you get your podcasts, remember we are free and available on all platforms. So once again, each of you, thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Now make your second listen, the Peacock and Williamson NFL show. Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson give you the expert NFL analysis in less than 30 minutes.

Again, free and available on all platforms. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I once again thank my good friends Cody Davis and John Hickman of Locked On Texans for their time, their insight, and their appearance on today's crossover episode. But most of all, I continue to thank you each and every day for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world.

Have a great day, everyone.