Game Rewind: After sleep walking through a lackluster first half, the Patriots pulled away in the second half and beat the Texans 34-16 to advance to their sixth straight AFC championship game.

Here are five thoughts from the game.

1. Sloppy Performance: The Patriots came out uncharacteristically flat last night. It was as if they knew they were going to win so it didn’t really matter how they played. It is the curse of being heavily favored. It happens to all of the good teams, including the Patriots.

2. Defense Saved the Day: The defense saved the day last night. They played like a championship caliber unit. They picked off Brock Osweiler three times and while they bent, they didn’t break. 

Don’t get me wrong, they could have played better but had they not played as well as they did, the Patriots would have been in a dog fight last night. 

3. Line of Scrimmage Losses: The Patriots got owned up front last night on both sides of the ball. The offensive line in particular did not play well. They will need to play much better next week.

The Patriots only rushed for 98 yards collectively. Tom Brady was sacked twice but he took a lot of shots and was visibly frustrated.

4. Pass Pro Breakdowns: Give Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel credit. He came into Foxborough with a good game plan.

Crennel mixed up his fronts and pressures and he exploited left guard Joe Thuney. The rookie really struggled, especially when it came to picking up and blocking delay blitzes. Whitney Mercilus came free several times from the left side. 

Brady took a beating last night. He was visibly shaken and upset at times. Needless to say, both Brady and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia will have a word or two with the offensive line this week. They need to play better next week. 

5. Dion Lewis Makes History: Dion Lewis is the first player in NFL history to score a receiving touchdown, return a kick off for a touchdown and score a rushing touchdown. Lewis scored for the first time this season last night.

Lewis did fumble once on another kick off return and ball security was an issue for him but he was a factor for the Patriots last night. New England is 17-0 when Lewis plays in a game. Unbelievable!