Sports

Playoff blitz

HERO

It has become trendy to point out Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s failures in the postseason in recent years. Well, yesterday he showed he can be just fine in January. Brady completed 25 of 40 passes for 344 yards and three TDs.

ZERO

Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips had no answer for the Patriots offense. The Texans got very little pressure on Brady (1 sack) and could not cover Wes Welker (8 catches, 131 yards) after Phillips made an unflattering comparison between Welker and A.J. Green last week. Tough defenses eliminated the Patriots from the playoffs in 2009 and 2010. The Texans fell well short.

UNSUNG HERO

The Patriots offense is filled with marquee names. Shane Vereen is not one of them. But the running back had a huge day for New England. Vereen scored three touchdowns, two receiving and one rushing. His final touchdown was a pretty 33-yard reception from. Vereen had just three TDs all season.

KEY STAT

4 of 15 The Texans’ third-down conversion rate. They struggled particularly in the first half when they converted 1-of-6. That led to no sustained drives and the Patriots took control of the game.