Jacoby Brissett wasn't perfect, but he delivered for Patriots in starting debut

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — This was unfamiliar for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.

Starting a rookie quarterback — a third stringer, no less — on the most stable franchise in the NFL.

But in his first career start, a 27-0 shutout of the Houston Texans on Thursday night, Jacoby Brissett managed the game, avoided turnovers, and kept the offense moving. The stats won’t win him any awards, but they helped secure the victory.

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And though Brissett — at most — will play one more game, as backup Jimmy Garoppolo is recovering from a sprained shoulder and starter Tom Brady completes his four-game Deflategate suspension next week, his performance has the Patriots sitting at 3-0. An undefeated stretch without Brady, now, is very attainable.

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“He handled himself great last week, this week, all week, every day,” Belichick said after the game. “He’s done nothing but come in here and work as hard as he possibly can — when we had three quarterbacks — to take his opportunities and learn from the other two guys, when it was him and Jimmy and then this week it was pretty much all him. He’s just a hard working kid that is really dedicated to doing what’s right for the team and trying to improve on anything that you tell him. He just wants to do what the coach tells him to do. I’m glad we have him.”

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Brissett completed 11 of 19 passes for 103 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, but added 48 yards and one touchdown on the ground. His 27-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter gave New England a 10-0 lead it would only build further in the second half.

“We’re part of a great organization, great team,” Brissett said after the game at his locker. “A lot of the veteran players helped out and stepped up and helped me a lot. Just giving me confidence. The coaching staff gave me confidence and just everything went from there.”

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.

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