FOXBOROUGH, Mass.-Brandin Cooks started his day by being booed. He ended it with one of the biggest moments of his short New England Patriots tenure.
Cooks was one of a group of Patriots players jeered as they stood locked arm in arm next to a group of players that knelt during the national anthem Sunday. The display was in response to criticism President Donald Trump levied against Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players and teams over the weekend.
All was forgotten by the home crowd about three hours later when Cooks was on the receiving end of a 25-yard, toe-tapping touchdown pass from Tom Brady with 23 seconds left in the game as the Patriots rallied to beat the Houston Texans 36-33.
Brady finished with five TD throws. Cooks caught five passes for 131 yards and pair of scores. It was the fifth multi-touchdown game and eighth 100-yard game of his career.
Cooks, in his first season with the Patriots, made clear his pregame demonstration wasn't meant to disrespect the military. Cooks' father, Worth Cooks, served in the Marines and died of a heart attack when his son was 6.
"It's one of those things where you want to stand with your brothers, kneel with your brothers and be by their side," Cooks said.
Brady finished 25 of 35 for 378 yards as New England (2-1) won its fifth straight regular-season meeting with Houston (1-2) and seventh of eight overall.
"I think no matter how you get it, you've got to figure out how to win the game," Brady said.
Brady stood next to Cooks pregame.
"I speak for myself. I believe what I believe," Brady said. "We all go through ups and downs and there's struggles and it's life and we're all trying to navigate it as best we can."
Texans rookie Deshaun Watson was strong in his second career start. The Patriots were thin on the edge without linebacker Dont'a Hightower (knee) for the second straight week, and Watson took advantage, completing 22 of 33 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns.
But he did have two interceptions, including one that set up a New England first-half touchdown.
"It was really painful. That's all I can really say about that," Watson said.
The Patriots extended their halftime lead to 28-20 in the third quarter before Houston used a 12-yard TD pass from Watson to Ryan Griffin, and a 31-yard Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal to edge back in front 30-28 early in the fourth quarter.