The New England Patriots didn’t view the Houston Texans’ zero-yard punt as a special teams blunder by the other team.
To them, it was a standout play by an underappreciated player: defensive tackle Lawrence Guy.
The scene: Early in the third quarter Sunday afternoon, the Texans attempted to catch the Patriots off guard by having punter Cameron Johnston shift up toward the line, then drop back to his usual spot. But the trickeration attempt was both ill-advised and poorly executed.
With the play clock winding down, Johnston never regained his proper depth. He received the snap from long snapper Jon Weeks at 10 yards rather than the usual 15, then drilled the ball into the back of Weeks’ helmet.