The New England Patriots were more competent on the offensive side of the ball, but that doesn’t mean their 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday was entirely competitive.
Patriots fans probably walked away from the contest more optimistic about the offense than the defense. With that said, we graded each position group after New England’s Week 6 loss to Houston.
OFFENSE
Quarterback: B
Drake Maye was an improvement behind center and exceeded expectations in his first career start. New England recorded a season-high in passing yards and Maye threw more touchdowns (three) than Jacoby Brissett did in five games combined (two). The Texans hadn’t allowed more than 209 passing yards in a game this season. It wasn’t perfect, of course. Maye also had three turnovers, including an airmailed overthrow and a spectacular catch from Houston’s Eric Murray on a tipped ball. But it was a performance that created optimism in the locker room.
Wide receivers: B-
DeMario Douglas finished with six catches for 92 yards and one touchdown. Kayshon Boutte contributed three catches for 59 yards and a touchdown of his own. Those scores marked the first of their respective careers. Kendrick Bourne remained limited and played 52% of snaps behind Boutte (83%), Ja’Lynn Polk (65%) and Douglas (62%). Polk (one catch, four yards) underwhelmed with a few costly drops, which Jerod Mayo said he would need to clean up. “We need the rest of those guys to step up and make plays,” Mayo said in reference to K.J. Osborn and, Polk. But the performances of Douglas and Boutte were a good step.
Running backs: C-
Maye led the Patriots in rushing yards (five carries, 38 yards), which probably says all you need to know. New England was without starter Rhamondre Stevenson and running backs Antonio Gibson, Terrell Jennings and JaMycal Hasty combined for 21 carries and 44 rushing yards (2.1 per carry). Gibson and Hasty added four catches for 33 yards in the passing game, but overall it was a disappointing performance for a running game that was expected to take some of the burden off Maye.
Tight ends: C-
Hunter Henry (three catches, 41 yards, touchdown) was responsible for three first downs while Austin Hooper (one catch, 5 yards) coughed up a costly fumble midway through the third quarter. Given that New England’s offense relies heavily on two tight end sets in impactful moments, and did on a number of third downs Sunday, it was not enough from those figured to be a security blanket for Maye.
Offensive line: C-
Pass protection was better in front of Maye, allowing a season-low pressure rate (13 pressure on 45 pass-blocking snaps), per Pro Football Focus. Demontrey Jacobs (four pressures, two sacks), Zach Thomas (three pressures, sack) and Mike Onwenu (three pressures) all were susceptible against the rush, but it was an improvement with Maye behind center. The ground game, however, was non-existent with Onwenu, among others, struggling in run blocking.
DEFENSE
Defensive line: D
Patriots veteran Davon Godchaux called out the defense for playing with a lack of pride. It felt like Godchaux’s comments were aimed at the defensive line, which struggled in the pass rush and allowed Houston to run for 192 yards (6.9 per attempt). Godchaux was graded the team’s best run defender while Daniel Ekuale, Keion White, Deatrich Wise and Jaquelin Roy all struggled in their respective snaps against the run. In regards to the pass rush, White, Ekuale, Wise and Godchaux saw the most pass-rush snaps but all graded outside New England’s top five rushers, per PFF.
Linebackers: C-
Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan, who PFF graded as the second-worst run defender, struggled against Houston’s ground game. McMillan overran his gap on a long touchdown run by Texans running back Dameon Pierce. It looked as if fellow linebacker Jahlani Tavai was responsible for a touchdown reception by running back Joe Mixon in the first half, too.
Cornerbacks: C
Houston’s pass-catchers made New England defensive backs look pedestrian for the first time this season. Stefon Diggs hauled in four catches on five targets (three first downs) against top cornerback Christian Gonzalez, per PFF. Diggs finished with 39 yards and one touchdown in those head-to-head matchups. Jonathan Jones allowed three catches on three targets and one touchdown against Tank Dell while Marcus Jones allowed two catches on three targets against Dell. Marcus Jones, however, did record an interception on C.J. Stroud.
Safeties: C+
Marte Mapu was New England’s highest-graded player in coverage (zero catches, two targets) and third-graded player against the run. Jaylinn Hawkins didn’t allow a reception on the lone target he faced either. Kyle Dugger played 100% of defensive snaps after not playing in Week 5.
Special teams: C
Brenden Schooler continues to be a madman on special teams, but the unit was assessed a penalty on the very first play of the game. New England also had a Marcus Jones return called back due to an offensive holding penalty on rookie Marcellas Dial Jr., which cost the Patriots valuable field position.
“We just didn’t show up in that phase of the game,” Mayo said in reference to New England’s kick return unit.
The 1-5 Patriots will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.
