The New England Patriots lost their Week 6 game 41-21 to the Houston Texans on Sunday, dropping them to 1-5.

Here you can find out who caught our attention during the live broadcast, for better or for worse.

Winner: QB Drake Maye. It was anything but a perfect day for the Patriots' first-round draft pick. Maye exuded some high throws throughout the day – perhaps adrenaline and nerves, although not uncommon in his time at UNC – which contributed to his first-quarter interception when he passed Pop Douglas.

But Maye responded well and showed his skills, which earned him third place overall. This included a deep ball to Kayshon Boutte for a score and several off-script plays/scrambles that showcased his agility. He also recovered from his early misses and hit Douglas brilliantly on the receiver's late touchdown.

Again, it wasn't perfect, but Maye's first start was encouraging.

Loser: WR Ja'Lynn Polk. While New England's rookie quarterback found success, his fellow rookie receiver was not the beneficiary. Polk finished the game with just one catch on four targets for four yards and two drops – both on third down. The rookie came into the league known for his strong hands, but Polk struggled in that regard on Sunday.

Winners: WRs DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. The Patriots' sophomore receivers were on the opposite end of the spectrum, as they both caught their first touchdowns from Maye and posted career highs in receiving yards (Douglas, 92; Boutte, 59). Boutte was on the other end of the highlight of the day when Maye caught him for a 40-yard score to end the half. Douglas was the rookie QB's top target as he led the team with 92 yards, six catches and nine targets. The success against man coverage was promising.

Loser: Play the game. Offensively and defensively, the Patriots lost the ground game on Sunday. Without Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson took over the leadership role and managed just 19 yards on 13 carries (1.5 yards per carry). A lot of that had to be on offense, as Houston stuffed six runs. Maye (five carries, 38 yards) finished the game as the team's leading runner.

On the other side of the ball, New England's run defense continued to struggle Sunday. With Joe Mixon back on the roster, the Texans ran for 192 yards on 28 carries (6.9 yards per attempt), including blasts of 59, 54 and 20 yards. Jerod Mayo pointed out that the team's ongoing issues with tackling and running were a significant part of the problem.

Loser: TE Austin Hooper. New England's second tight end played just over 50 percent of the team's offensive snaps, primarily in his 12 personnel packages that took Douglas off the field. Hooper finished the game with just one catch, which ended in a fumble – helping the Texans extend their lead to 27-7.

Honorable Mentions:

• Hunter Henry found the end zone for the first time this season and also connected with Maye on a 30-yard catch-and-run after an off-script scramble completion.
• We would like to thank center Ben Brown, who signed on Thursday and found out about his start on Sunday morning, for jumping into action immediately. Aside from handling calls on the line at short notice, Brown didn't allow any pressure, according to PFF's in-game tracking.
• Elsewhere on offense, Trey Jacobs gave up two sacks (one strip sack), while Zach Thomas also gave up two sacks working at left tackle for the injured Vederian Lowe. Again, neither is in a great situation, which speaks to New England's strength (and injury situation) at the tackle position.
• Marte Mapu had two splash plays with an impressive pass breakup that led to Marcus Jones' INT and a split sack. However, his work in the run game is worth another look on film.
• Keion White appeared to have more success generating pressure in live game time, while finishing with two QB hits and a pass deflection on a screen.
• Christian Gonzalez shared after the game that he felt like he didn't play his best game. That may be true by his standards, but Gonzalez still held Stefon Diggs to just four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown.
• A solid recovery day for New England's special teams, but Houston's decision to let JaMycal Hasty return a handful of shots paid off. Going forward, Isaiah Bolden would be worth a look.