Electrifying performance from Brandin Cooks sparks passing game

FOXBOROUGH — Welcome to New England, Brandin Cooks.



The breakout game that Patriots’ fans were waiting for took place Sunday afternoon against the Texans, when the 5-foot-10, 189-pound speedster sparked the New England passing attack with five catches on seven targets for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than a minute to go.

Against Houston, Cooks was the home-run hitter many anticipated he would be when he was acquired this past spring, catching passes on multiple levels and taking the top off the Houston defense. In all, three of the top five plays (in terms of yardage) were courtesy of Cooks: a 44-yarder deep down the Houston sideline in the first quarter, a 42-yarder in the third quarter that ended up going for his first touchdown of the year where he outraced a Houston defender for the end zone, and the 25-yard touchdown catch with 29 seconds left in the game, a play that turned out to be the game-winner.

Initially, there was some question about Cooks’ ability to maintain control and keep his feet in bounds. Not as far as he was concerned, however.

“It was a perfect throw. Perfect timing,” Cooks said of the 25-yarder, which sent the sold-out Gillette Stadium crowd into a frenzy. “I expect nothing less (from Tom Brady).”

"Cookie made a great play to win the game," said Danny Amendola.

“It felt amazing,” Cooks added when asked about the chance to be a part of a Brady-led comeback for the first time in his career. “It was a blessing, that’s for sure.”

“They were playing a two-high defense and we got (Cooks) behind the corner,” said Brady, who finished the day with five touchdown passes in the 36-33 win. “We had Danny (Amendola) going up the middle of the field, so I tried to stare down the middle and then out it up. I didn’t really see the end of it until I saw it on the scoreboard.”

As is the case whenever a new receiver lands with the Patriots, there’s always a question of chemistry with the quarterback. Cooks said games like the one on Sunday go a long way toward building that connection.

“It helps in a big way,” Cooks said. “Just because you can practice it so much, but game-time situations are where you really want to see it. So the more plays like that that get made, the more I feel like we’ll be on the same page.”