Donte Stallworth hauls in a 63-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter as the Patriots rout of the Texans continues.  FOXBOROUGH — For nearly a week, all Jerod Mayo heard about was the brilliance of the Houston Texans. The Patriots LB tried not to listen, but it didn’t work. “We always talk about ignoring the noise,” Mayo said. “But you hear it. You hear it when you’re walking down the street.” The Patriots needed only about 20 minutes on the Monday Night Football stage at Gillette Stadium to make some noise of their own. What was supposed to be an epic showdown between AFC powers New England and Houston — and a possible conference title game preview — transformed into a showcase for Tom Brady and the Pats. One week after sealing the AFC East title, the Pats (10-3) dismantled Houston, 42-14, rolling to their seventh straight win and handing Houston its first road loss. “We came into this game with a chip on our shoulders, everyone talking about the Houston Texans,” Mayo said. “This is what we’re capable of.” Brady masterfully picked apart a vaunted Houston defense, throwing four TD passes for the 18th time in his career, fourth-most in NFL history. His offensive line kept him clean; Brady was sacked just once, and Texans pass-rusher J.J. Watt, the “best defensive player in the NFL,” according to Bill Belichick, was nearly invisible. Meanwhile, a much-maligned Pats defense manhandled Houston, holding the NFL’s second-ranked offense to two TDs. Schaub insisted that the Pats’ defense was hardly brilliant and “it was more us not executing,” but New England seemed to dominate. “I think everybody did a really good job tonight,” said defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, who was part of a defensive line that limited Arian Foster to 46 rushing yards. It all clicked from the outset. The Pats needed just 19 minutes to build a 21-0 lead, scoring on their first three drives and blowing Houston away. New England’s opening drive, nearly disastrous when Pats RB Stevan Ridley almost lost a fumble at the Texan 4, ended with a seven-yard TD pass from Brady to Aaron Hernandez just a play later. Schaub would answer by driving Houston to the Pats 21, only to be intercepted by safety Devin McCourty on a pass into the end zone. That set up Brady’s second TD pass, a 37-yard rainbow to a wide-open Brandon Lloyd. An early second-quarter TD pass to Hernandez later, New England had made its statement. Now, the Pats want more. Just a game behind Houston (11-2) in the race for the AFC’s top seed, they’d love to secure home-field advantage in the postseason. The Texans, who have allowed at least 31 points in three of their last four games, are far from invulnerable, but New England seems to be peaking at the right time, having won three of its last four games by at least 28 points. And if the Pats can gain that top seed, Mayo says, they may be Super Bowl-bound again. “To be honest with you,” he said, “I think coming to Foxborough is going to be a tough place for any team to win.”
The Houston Texans spent the first 12 games of this season proving that they belonged among the NFL's elite. The New England Patriots needed less than a half to tear all of that hard work down and make their own statement to the league.