FOXBORO, Mass. — It looked like for a second the New England Patriots got a key third-down stop on Houston’s first drive of the game to limit the Texans to a field goal.
But then came the yellow piece of laundry that was all too problematic for the Patriots on Sunday.
This time, though, the Patriots had every right to be upset with the call. Safety Marte Mapu was flagged for defensive pass interference on tight end Dalton Schultz, even though Schultz initiated all the contact. The penalty gave the Texans a new set of downs and they found the end zone two plays later on a 2-yard touchdown pass from C.