Jacoby Brissett Delivers, Rob Gronkowski Makes Season Debut In Patriots’ 27-0 Home Win Over Texans

Jacoby Brissett had an impressive first NFL start on Thursday night, leading the New England Patriots to a thunderous, 27-0 victory over the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium.

Jacoby Brissett Delivers, Rob Gronkowski Makes Season Debut In Patriots’ 27-0 Home Win Over Texans

One might have guessed the 23-year-old rookie quarterback would have not taken any risks to injure himself, especially with Tom Brady still suspended for his involvement in the ‘Deflate-gate’ scandal and Jimmy Garoppolo injured.

Nevertheless, Brissett, who broke free around the right side on a first-and-15 from the Houston 27, ran untouched to the 5 before Texans safety Andre Hal managed to corner him. Racing to the sideline, Brissett stutter-stepped and allowed Hal to cut in front of him, then passed him before diving for the end zone.

As the Patriots began to celebrate, the stadium began blasting out The Door’s “Hello, I love you, won’t you tell me your name.” The 27-yard touchdown run, which gave the Patriots a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, was the longest by a Patriots quarterback since 1976.

Brissett completed 11 of 19 passes for 103 yards, and ran for 48 yards on eight carries for New England, who took advantage of three Texans turnovers.

“We’re part of a great organization, great team,” Brissett said after the game at his locker. “A lot of the veteran players helped out and stepped up and helped me a lot. Just giving me confidence. The coaching staff gave me confidence and just everything went from there.”

The young quarterback came on as backup for Garoppolo against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and four days later became the first rookie QB to start for the Pats since Drew Bledsoe in 1993– and the first black player to start at the position in franchise history. Garoppolo was taken down by Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso in the Pats’ 31-24 win on Sunday.

Coach Bill Belichick chose not to bring in a free agent quarterback to fill out the depth chart, leaving only wide receiver Julian Edelman, who played QB at Kent State, as backup if Brissett got severely injured.

Rob Gronkowski also saw limited action on Thursday in his season debut with the Patriots. The four-time Pro Bowl tight end, who has been dealing with hamstring issues since the preseason, was limited in practice this week. Gronkowski was a game-time decision after being labeled as questionable on Wednesday.

Two other New England players who did not play Thursday due to injuries were linebacker Dont’a Hightower (knee) and guard Jonathan Cooper (foot).

The Patriots (3-0) will next host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, while the Texans (2-1) will host the Tennessee Titans, also on Sunday.

FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 22: Jacoby Brissett #7 of the New England Patriots throws a pass during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on September 22, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)