Talk » Down 24-19 with only two minutes left in their week 1

5 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year Natrell Jamerson Color Rush Jersey , the New England Patriots unleashed the Gronk: tight end Rob Gronkowski was targeted four times on the eventual game-winning drive (a series that spanned just five plays in total), registering three catches for a combined 69 yards. On top of it, he also caught a critical two-point conversion after Dion Lewis’ go-ahead touchdown.His performance during New England’s 27-24 win last season was just the latest in a string of outstanding games Gronkowski has produced when going against the Steelers. In six meetings with Pittsburgh’s defense, the future Hall of Famer combined to catch 39 passes for 664 yards and eight touchdowns. In short: Gronkowski was near unstoppable every time New England met the Steelers since 2010.Naturally, the 29-year old will be a priority target for Pittsburgh on Sunday. “It is a serious job to work to minimize his impact on the game,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said about the matchup earlier this week. “He’s a dangerous man. He’s Gronk. He’s a vertical matchup. He’s a big-time play-maker. He’s good with the ball in his hands after the catch. He’s a big-time competitor.”Last year, the Steelers tried slowing Gronkowski down by using more man-coverage concepts against him. The plan did not work: he finished the game with nine receptions for 168 yards and, as noted above, was indefensible on the game’s final drive. Tomlin knows that he presents a serious challenge for his team again this year, despite not producing at the same level this season as he did in years past.“Gronk has missed some time this year but he’s finding his rhythm,” the Steelers’ head coach said. “He has been playing the last several weeks. You know the matchup issue he is for everybody globally and he is, and has been, for us in the past. We’ll be thoughtful about putting together a plan to minimize him and his impact on the game. When you play a guy like him it’s going to take multiple people and multiple techniques.”Gronkowski himself is aware of the fact that the Steelers will be focusing on him tomorrow. “I feel like they’ll throw a lot of things,” he told reporters during a press conference on Thursday. “I mean, I’ve seen a lot from them before — a lot of coverages, a lot of split-safety Justin Reid Color Rush Jersey , post-safety, man, zone. They switch it up a lot, too, and so I’ve had a couple guys before — like a linebacker covered me one time, a safety or a corner.”“To tell you the truth, they actually mix it up a lot and you’ve got to be prepared for it all, whatever coverage, whatever guy it is,” Gronkowski continued. No matter what the Steelers have thrown at him in the past, he has countered it effectively and provided a reliable target for quarterback Tom Brady — who himself has a history of playing well against the team — in each of his six matchups versus the Pittsburgh defense.Tomlin, meanwhile, knows that Gronkowski has been a problem his team was unable to solve over the past few seasons. “As far as stopping him, it’s not as easy as A-B-C,” he said. “We haven’t been a part of it. We’re looking to be.” The Philadelphia Eagles threw the ball against the Houston Texans. Nick Foles threw the ball 49 times to be exact. He completed 35 of his 49 passes for 471 yards, four touchdowns Tyler Ervin Color Rush Jersey , and one interception. He averaged 9.4 yards an attempt. Alshon Jeffery bounced off a Justin Reid lowered shoulder tackle attempt to run forever. Nelson Agholor had Tyrann Mathieu trailing and hauled in an 83 yard touchdown catch. The Texans couldn’t cover Zach Ertz or Dallas Goedert either. The Eagles put up 32 points. Houston was forced to scurry back. After trying and failing to run the football without any success in the first half, instead of attacking Philadelphia’s secondary, the Texans stuck with shotgun throws. Deshaun Watson threw it to DeAndre Hopkins a lot and made plays out of the pocket, including an outstanding touchdown throw to D’Onta Foreman, who got lost in the cconfusion after Watson seeped to the right. Houston forced a punt on the following possession. The Texans got the ball back and went right back to slinging it. Watson broke four tackles in the pocket, got away from each defensive lineman, and found Jordan Akins downfield. Watson then threw it deep to Vyncint Smith, the undrafted free agent from the imaginary Limestone State, who slid a knee in bounds to tie the game.An extra point gave the Texans the lead. On what would be Philadelphia’s game winning drive, Foles faced 3rd and 10. He tossed it up to Jeffery, who leaped over Johnathan Joseph. Clowney was tagged with a terrible roughing the passer penalty that added 15 yards to the end of the play. Foles found Ertz wide open. Sproles broke a long run on a draw play. Josh Elliott rocked a field goal right down the middle. The Texans lost a close game. Bill O’Brien took the left instead of the right and was conservative. Punting on 4th and 2 at midfield. Kicking field goals. Playing for the field goal on 3rd and 11. Going for it on 4th and 9 after ignoring better and shorter opportunities to convert at more favorable spots on the field. Waiting until Houston fell behind to start aggressively attacking the Eagles’ secondary.On the other sideline, Doug Pederson let ‘em hang and converted all four fourth down conversions. Additionally, Houston’s entire team is now in the hospital. Kareem Jackson was yanked from this one. Johnathan Joseph disappeared for a while. Demaryius Thomas might have torn his Achilles getting ready to block on a screen pass. Ryan Griffin took a shot to the neck. The puzzle will need to get put back together again this week. The Texans will try and clinch the AFC South against the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday at 12 p.m. CST.With the Patriots beating the Dolphins today, Houston is back to the No. 3 seed in the AFC Playoffs but has not yet officially clinched a postseason berth.