Patriots vs. Texans: What We Learned From New England's 42-14 Victory over Houston

This was a statement game for the New England Patriots.

Forget the Houston Texans, the Patriots are the best team in the AFC—if not in the NFL.

Monday night's game was by far New England's most complete game of the season as they absolutely dominated the Texans 42-14. With the victory, New England improves to 10-3 on the season while Houston drops to 11-2.

Lets take a look at what we learned following Monday night's destruction of the Texans.

1. Tom Brady is the National Football League's Most Valuable Player

There is no debate. There is no question about it.

Tom Brady is the NFL's MVP.

Brady was as good as it gets against Houston's sixth-ranked defense as he posted a 125.4 quarterback rating. TB12 completed 21 of his 35 passes for 296 yards while tossing four touchdowns and wasn't intercepted once.

On the NFL's biggest stage against the AFC's top seeded team, Brady was dominant and proved why he's the NFL's MVP.

2. Brandon Lloyd finally clicks with Tom Brady

Well, we've been waiting all season for this and it finally came when the Patriots needed it the most.

Brandon Lloyd was targeted nine times as he reeled in seven receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown.

Lloyd's biggest reception came late in the first quarter as he snagged a 37-yard bomb to give New England a 14-0 lead.

3. Stevan Ridley is one of the NFL's top running backs

It's time to start believing it: Stevan Ridley could very well be on his way into emerging as an elite running back in the NFL.

Ridley ran for 72 yards on 18 carries while punching in one touchdown. Ridley now has a touchdown in each of the last six games while having 10 total rushing touchdowns on the season.

4. New England's secondary shut-down Andre Johnson

Whether it was Aqib Talib or Alfonzo Dennard covering Andre Johnson, Houston's top receiver had no chance against the Patriots.

Johnson was targeted 10 times Monday night while recording eight receptions for 95 yards and failed to make a meaningful impact when his team needed him the most.

5. Matt Schaub is overrated and doesn't have the clutch gene

This was Matt Schaub's chance to prove that he's one of the NFL's top tier passers but he failed to do so. Schaub crumbled under the pressure playing against the New England Patriots—who had the 27th ranked defense entering Monday night.

Schaub completed just 59.4 percent of his passes for 232 yards while failing to throw a touchdown as well as being picked off once—which came in the end-zone.

Schaub finished Monday's game with a pitiful 68.8 quarterback rating.

6. Donte' Stallworth is still explosive

We all remember how explosive Donte' Stallworth was with the Patriots back in 2007—and in his third stint with New England, Stallworth made an impact.

In his first game played all season, Stallworth caught just one pass, but it was a big one. Brady and Stallworth connected on a 67 yard bomb early midway in the third quarter to give the Patriots a 28-0 lead and ultimately sealed the deal for New England.

It's good to see Stallworth back.

7. Vince Wilfork cannot be blocked

It's really that simple: Vince Wilfork cannot be blocked.

Wilfork was as dominant as ever against the Texans as he recorded three tackles, one forced fumble as well as a sack that was worth 20 yards.

Wilfork was a huge part in shutting-down Arian Foster, as he ran for just 46 yards on 15 carries while averaging only 3.1 yards per-carry.

Go ahead and double-team Wilfork, he will find a way to beat you.

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