Johnathan Joseph: Texans A Better Team Than Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- For more than a decade now, Bill Belichick and the Patriots have rolled through the NFL, leaving countless teams and players mystified as to what just happened in what tend to be lopsided victories for New England. You can now add Johnathan Joseph to that list.
Joseph, an All-Pro cornerback last year and Pro Bowler the past two years, said this week that despite losing 41-28 to the Patriots on Sunday evening, the Texans were the better team.
"For whatever reason, we didn't advance," Joseph told CSN Houston. "I still can't put that over because I think we were a better team. I think we just didn't make the plays at the right time."
Of course, Sunday's loss wasn't the Texans' first in New England this season. Just last month, the Texans geared up for a Monday night matchup which Andre Johnson called "the biggest game in the history of this franchise." The team went all-0ut, purchasing matching varsity letterman jackets and receiving much of the pregame hype heading into the game. The Patriots won 42-14.
Despite losing the two games by a combined score of 83-42, Joseph said he believes the Texans were right there with the Patriots.
"Just four or five plays," Joseph told CSN. "You take a few of those plays that they made and go the other way, it's a different ballgame."
Unfortunately, Joseph didn't specify which four or five plays needed to change in order to turn the tables, but regardless, that's a lot of plays. The difference between winning and losing in the NFL often comes down to who performs best in those crucial plays that decide a game, and the fact that the Patriots made them in both games and the Texans did not certainly indicates which team deserved to advance to the AFC Championship Game.
As for Joseph? Don't worry about him. While the Patriots may be busy preparing for their second straight Super Bowl trip, Joseph will have plenty of time to tell everyone next weekend at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu how good his Texans are.
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