Fitzpatrick '05 Sets New Franchise Record

Six touchdowns. No interceptions. 358 yards passing.

It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to figure out that Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05 had a pretty good game last Sunday. But in case Fitzpatrick—a former captain and standout for the Crimson—needs the confirmation of a numbers whiz, he can always turn to his younger son Brady.

At the end of the press conference following the Texans’ 45-21 win over the Tennessee Titans, Fitzpatrick introduced Brady, described by the New York Post as an “adorable human calculator.” Fitzpatrick the elder asked the crowd for two numbers between 90 and 99. When a reporter suggested 93 and 97, it took Brady only a few seconds of wide-eyed staring before he multiplied the numbers together to get 9,021.

The answer of over 9,000 might as well have described Fitzpatrick’s quarterback rating on the day. By tossing six touchdowns, Fitzpatrick not only set a franchise record, but he also recorded more passing scores than he had combined for over his previous nine games of action.

In the first week of November, a loss against the Eagles had led Houston to bench Fitzpatrick in favor of Ryan Mallett. But two games later, a chest injury ended Mallett’s season and landed Fitzpatrick back in the starter’s seat.

Against the Titans, Fitzpatrick showed no rust. He connected on 24 of 33 pass attempts, and his 10.85 yards per pass exceeded his season total by more than 2.5 yards. DeAndre Hopkins was the most frequent beneficiary of Fitzpatrick’s breakout, as the second-year wide receiver finished with 238 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches.

Fitzpatrick’s accomplishment loses a little luster given the fact that Tennessee boasts the league’s worst scoring defense. Last week, the Titans conceded 27 first-half points en route to a 43-24 drubbing by the Eagles. However, hope is on the horizon for Tennessee in the form of Eli Manning, who accounted for 70 passing yards and two lost fumbles in the second half of a loss to the Jaguars.

For many NFL players, a franchise-record performance might stand as a career highlight. But the picture is more complicated for Fitzpatrick, who participated in two undefeated seasons at Harvard. As a senior, Fitzpatrick won Ivy League Player of the Year after posting a 128.9 passer rating on the year. The season included a 21-point comeback against Brown to preserve perfection and, predictably, a 35-3 beat-down of Yale.