Safety Tyrann Mathieu has played his entire NFL career in the NFC with the Arizona Cardinals, which did not give him a chance to face the New England Patriots.
Now in the AFC with the Houston Texans, Mathieu will finally get the opportunity to face Tom Brady, something the Honey Badger sounded very excited about while talking to reporters, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“I was just talking to somebody about that,” Mathieu told reporters regarding the fact the Texans see the Patriots right out of the gates. “It’s going to be fun. Brady’s special. He’s a special player. I look up to him in a lot of different ways. He’s the ultimate competitor. For me, it’s just about getting in front of him and seeing what he’s got.”
On the flip side, the Patriots may not be that much thrilled to face Houston in both teams’ season opener. The Texans will parade an imposing defense, assuming all its key components will be ready to go in Week 1’s road game in Foxboro.
With J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Whitney Mercilus all expected to play in that meeting alongside Mathieu, Houston must be licking its chops over the prospect of crippling Tom Brady and the Patriots offense that does not look as striking on paper as it was in previous years.
Tyrann Mathieu was released by Arizona last March after refusing to cooperate with the Cardinals, who wanted him to take a pay cut. It did not take long for him to find a new home, signing a one-year deal with the Texans in the same month.
The Texans are hoping that Mathieu will help them win their first-ever road game against the Patriots. They are 0-6 in their past six games in New England, dating back to 2006.
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