Had the Houston Texans won against the Patriots yesterday, Tom Brady would have been the last superstar and favorite pick among the sports media and traditional football fans to have fallen to the underdogs after top seeded Peyton Manning and his Denver Broncos succumbed to the Baltimore Ravens during their neck and neck match last Saturday.
But apparently, Tom Brady and his squad was more than a match for the Texans.
After Houston closed the gap by scoring a touchdown right before half-time, putting in 13 points versus New England’s 17, the Patriots effortlessly crushed the Texans’ momentum by scoring touchdown after touchdown when they came back in the field at the start of the second half all the way to the finish line.
Interestingly, the Texans did not score during the 3rd quarter at all but made an effort to rally against their opponents during the dying minutes of the 4th quarter.
But it was a tad too late already.
The Texans lost to the Patriots by 13 points with a final score of 28 points against the Patriots’ 41, thereby repeating their unfortunate feat during last year’s playoffs.
Many diehard Texans fans may disagree but to casual observers like me, the Texans as a whole did not seem to exhibit the same hunger, passion and intensity that we have witnessed in the other teams toughing it out in the crucial playoffs.
Charismatic rookie RGIII hurt himself from engaging in what he believed was a worthy battle against his team’s opponent despite his physical limitations due to a lurking and potential career-ending injury. Peyton Manning refused to be interviewed after the Broncos’ shocking loss at home to the die-hard and determined Ravens after a heart-stopping overtime concluded by a 3 point winning kick from the Ravens’ Justin Tucker. And finally, in a dramatic, stunning and nerve-wracking comeback, the Seattle Seahawks were able to overcome a 20 point deficit during the last 15 minutes of the 4th quarter against the Atlanta Falcons before losing from a field goal delivered by the Falcons’ Matt Bryant.
That was heart. The passion to win no matter what. The stuff that makes fans show up in stadiums over and over, despite the frigid weather, despite the horrific traffic on their way out and despite the unpredictable and uncontrollable outcome of the games.
With the exception of the ever zealous JJ Watt and the awesome Shayne Graham who sent the ball zooming to the goal from 55 yards away, the Texans may need to reflect on what transpired during their lackluster match yesterday.
Winning is not everything.
If it is, no one would show up for the Packers’ games next season and every other team’s that did not make it to the finals. Sometimes, showing everyone how much you wanted to win is inarguably the same thing.
Maybe next season, the Texans will pick up and finally get through the second round.
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