This season couldn’t start quickly enough for Patriots fans. After an entire off-season of Real Housewives of Foxboro-esque drama (“Does Bill not like Brady!?” “Is Gronk going to retire/get traded/party himself to death!?” “DID THE PATRIOTS REALLY DRAFT A RUNNINGBACK IN THE FIRST ROUND!?!?!”) it was finally time for some football.

The season also started with question marks at WR. Gone was playoff hero Danny Amendola, off to Miami. Gone was deep threat Brandin Cooks to the LA Rams. Julian Edelman had been recently suspended for the first 4 games. How would Brady and the Patriots manage without their top 3 receiving threats from the year before?

Just fine, apparently. Brady threw for 277 yards and 3 TDs to the likes of Phillip Dorsett (his first Brady TD) and James White. Rob Gronkowski looked like his old self, pulling down 7 catches for 123 yards and a TD of his own. But in true Patriots fashion, there were some early-season yips.

Brady was intercepted once, and Gronk lost a fumble that kept the game closer than it should have been. But the defense held strong against a potent Texans offense, keeping them out of the endzone for most of the first 3 quarters.

Deshaun Watson, the Texans electric young QB, looked a little rusty in his first game back from last year’s season ending injury and the Patriots defense capitalized, recovering a fumble on the first play of the game and then intercepting a deep throw late in the second quarter. The Texans offense started to get into a groove late in the game to keep it close, but by that time it was too late. The Pats moved to 1-0 on the season after a tumultuous off-season.