Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots will face quite a formidable test in their first regular-season assignment against the Houston Texans. While young quarterback Deshaun Watson has garnered much of the headlines this offseason, Gronk is focused on facing what he expects to be a “fierce” Texans defense.
“This is just a great defense,” Gronkowski said per Mark Lane of Texans Wire. “They’ve got great players all around, on the defensive side of the ball and they’re going to be fierce. … They’re going to be hungry and we have to come out, we have to be ready to play. They’ve got great players from the front line to the back and it’s going to be a tough match-up.”
There’s certainly no shortage of star power on that Texans defense. Their front seven is stacked, with returning Defensive Player of the Year candidate J.J. Watt leading an incredibly talented group that also includes Whitney Mercilus, Jadeveon Clowney, and Bernardrick McKinney. Meanwhile, they also added a proven playmaker to their defensive backfield this offseason with Tyrann Mathieu.
The Patriots were able to move the ball fairly well against the Texans defense in their matchup last year, which saw New England get the close 36-33 win. However, Houston’s D still sacked Tom Brady five times, with Clowney starring with two sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
With question marks surrounding the Patriots’ wide receiver group heading into the season, Gronk will need to step up and have a big game against that fierce defense if the Patriots are to top the Texans yet again.
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