Nice and cheesy

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAME
Patriots 41, Texans 28 (1/13/'13): OK. Shaughnessy was right. The Texans are no match for the Patriots. But I was right too. Mac and cheese is an excellent tailgate food. Especially homemade mac and cheese on a 50 degree January playoff day.

I can't remember the last time I was as nervous about a Patriots' game as I was about the rematch with the Texans ... and about the tailgate food. I was running late (a two-week old baby can do that) and didn't have time to fully cook the mac and cheese. Fortunately Shep bought a portable oven a few years ago so both trays were able to cook another 30 minutes at 375. They came out great. Just like the game.

My stomach was full but still nervous as me and my two Don Julios settled into section 109. A few seconds later my stomach was more than nervous. The Texans' Danieal Manning took the opening kickoff 94 yards to the Pats' 12-yard line and would have scored easily if it wasn't for some championship hustle by Devin McCourty. I was barely in my seat and the Texans were on the verge of going up 7-0. But they didn't. Their second tight end dropped a sure touchdown and Matt Schaub missed an wide open Andre Johnson. The Texans settled for a field goal and you knew they had just missed a great opportunity to set the tone. Neither team could set the tone and with just more than four minutes left in the first quarter my stomach was not doing any better. Woody was standing on the sideline hurt and Gronk had already headed for the locker room holding his arm. I needed another margarita. It's good I had laid that base of mac and cheese.

And then Brady and the offense clicked. A lightning fast 65-yard touchdown drive was capped when in quick succession Vereen caught a short pass and took it 25 yards, Hernandez took it another 14 down to the goal line, and then Vereen ran in untouched before the Houston D could get set. The tone had been set. And fast. The touchdown and the next round of drinks had settled my stomach. The rest of the game built my appetite for the post-game tailgate.

It may not seem like it, but the game was actually close at the half. Houston scored 10 points in about three minutes to cut a 17-3 lead to 17-13. It was no repeat of the disaster the Texans played a month ago. This was one of the best teams in the conference showing why they were one of the best. By the time the third quarter was over the Patriots had showed the Texans who was better. Brady, Welker, and Hernandez (the key to the rest of the playoffs) combined for another big drive to open the second half. Ninko then picked off Schaub as the Texans were driving to get back in the game and the offense made it 31-13 with a 63-yard drive near the end of the quarter. The key series in the fourth quarter was classic Josh McDaniels's offense. The Pats' D stopped the Texans on a fourth-and-1 at the Houston 33. On the very next play Brady lofted a perfect pass down the left sideline and Vereen (three touchdowns) made a great catch for a touchdown. It was the killer instinct of a playoff-tested team.

The defense gave up two fourth quarter touchdowns but the game was never close. A game in which I was fearing the worst had turned out just great. It just kept getting better and better. Kind of like the post-game serving of mac and cheese.