Houston deserves credit for its plays. The Texans have an elite quarterback and great playmakers, especially at wide receiver in Diggs and Tank Dell. Still, we've seen in the past that the Patriots' plans worked. Up top, the Pats applied the same pressure they applied to Diggs on third down. In this case, Mapu's lightning attack manages a sack.

Whether it's schematic changes or better execution, the foundation is there for the Patriots to improve their defense. Coaches could do some self-exploration to find out why their planned pressure is being tracked down, while players are already talking about responsibility for their part.

Despite losing key contributors to injury, the Patriots are too talented on defense to rank 29th in defense-adjusted value above average (DVOA) through six games.

Quick film notes from the Patriots loss to the Texans

– WR Pop Douglas was outstanding, with a career-high 92 receiving yards and his first career touchdown. Douglas caught three catches for 59 yards and score-vs-man coverage. He was also open on Boutte's touchdown, Maye's first interception and another third-down crosser that Maye missed. Whether it was Eric Murray or Jalen Pitre, the Texans' nickel corners couldn't cover Douglas in the press. Its separation ability was electric.

– WR Kayshon Boutte showed great long-range speed as he broke away late from Texas CB Derek Stingley for a 40-yard touchdown. Boutte also ran a nice corner route for a 13-yard gain. Boutte's run blocking and vertical routes as an outside receiver have earned him a larger role. Kudos to him for continuing to strive for playing time behind the scenes. He plays well.

– TE Hunter Henry has a knack for spotting when the quarterback goes off script. He's done it with every Pats QB, but now he has Maye who will take it to the next level. He did a really good job getting open from his initial stick route on the 30-yard gain.

– RB Antonio Gibson converted two third downs and ran a good pick-flat in the red zone. However, he only had one successful run and five stuffs. Most of it happened on blocking, but Gibson rebounded early with a duo run when he probably should have followed the inside block.

– WR Kendrick Bourne continues to fight his way back from a torn ACL last October. Bourne was targeted on a screen and recorded one out in his 34 snaps (54%). His role is likely to increase soon.

– WR Ja'Lynn Polk had two high-leverage drops in the two-minute practice before halftime and on a third down play in the fourth quarter. Both goals would have been first downs. Polk was also open to a deep target on a go route when Maye targeted Douglas for his first interception. Coach Mayo on Polk: “He has to get over the mental low point.”

– Due to multiple injuries along the O-line, the Patriots’ run blocking was inconsistent. They struggled to break away from combo blocks to pick up second-tier penetrators, block the back on power/trap schemes, fall off move/climb blocks, and split on their doubles. Look, they have new fives out there, seemingly quarter after quarter.

– RT Trey Jacobs spoke to Patriots.com last week about getting out of his stance quicker to cut the corner. That seems to be the main reason for the pressure he allows when rushers bend around him and get under his outside hand. Jacobs has good length and a strong two-handed stroke, but vertical hitting is hit and miss.

– C Ben Brown probably earned another start with a clean slate and only one fumble in the run game due to a pin-pull scheme. Brown only had a 31% one-on-one rate, so Houston didn't test him much. We'll see if he's in the Jags' sights next week.

– LT Zach Thomas held out while replacing starter Vederian Lowe (ankle). Thomas had some power issues as a smaller tackle and was hit with a sack inside by Will Anderson. However, given his stance, he has decent speed to fend off the corner.

– QB pressures: Jacobs (two sacks, hits, hurries), Thomas (sacks, two hurries), Onwenu (two hits, hurries), Jordan (two hurries), Lowe (hurries), Brown/Sow (zero).

– CB Christian Gonzalez admitted after Sunday's loss that “I feel like I didn't play very well.” He had some tough assignments against Texans WR Stefon Diggs. Gonzalez passed Diggs 11 times and allowed four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. He allowed a third-down conversion and the red zone score. Diggs also beat him with a double move, but the rush hit the Mapu/Ellis sack. It was a tough battle with multiple reps on an island with Diggs, one of the NFL's best receivers, and Gonzo had a great rep to push Diggs to the sideline on a go route. Plus, the numbers don't look too bad: 8 targets, 6 catches, 44 yards, TD.

– EDGE Keion White had two strong pressing attempts in this game that prevented Houston from making big passing plays. First, White got Stroud into a throwaway when he had Diggs open on a flood concept (mentioned above), and his QB hit negated another likely conversion on third down (Q3, 5:30). Although he was able to break away late, White's QB hit caught his old friend Shaq Mason with his two-handed strike. This pressure was a huge advantage for the defense.

– DT Jaquelin Roy was a nice addition. For the second straight game, Roy had a sack on an arm-over finisher and two run stuffs, including one at the goal line where he had a great two-gap technique. Roy can play both nose tackle and 3-4 end, giving the Pats some flexibility to move DT Davon Godchaux in their base fronts. He is a solid player.

– NT Davon Godchaux led the Patriots with six run digs. He now leads all defensive linemen with 18 run stops on the season via PFF. Godchaux was impossible to block individually and his lateral movement was really good against zone schemes this season. The problems with run defense are certainly not his fault – the big guy needs help.

– CB Marcus Jones’ interception in the second quarter was good team defense on the back end. Stroud got past Schultz late and knocked him off the platform, resulting in an easy submission. Although the ball wasn't great, it was S Marte Mapu's picture-perfect out-of-phase marking that got the ball to the catch point without interference. Then Jones became a free agent as he passed a flanker to FS Kyle Dugger and did a nice job getting there to absorb the deflection. Mapu was initially beaten by Schultz, but was able to recover well again.

– The off-ball LB issues for the Pats continued into this game. The running adjustments from the second level onwards were inconsistent as the boys trailed too much and ended up in the same tracks. The Pats' base package also has trouble covering the middle of the field compared to play action, particularly in dual-zone coverage (Diggs 26-yarder). Coach Mayo also pointed out the running fitness issues.

– CB Jonathan Jones also had a down game with three big completions allowed to Texans WR Tank Dell, all on in-breakers against man coverage. Marcus Jones was also hit by Dell on third down. The Pats had the highest man coverage rate this season and Dell was a problem.

– Mixon's 20-yard touchdown run followed the same “Wham” scheme as his previous 59-yard run. The 54-yard TD was a zone throw that resulted in three missed tackles.

– QB pressures: Mapu (sack), Roy (sack), Elliss (sack, hurry), White (hits, two hurries), Jennings (hits, hurries), Godchaux (two hurries), Tavai (hurries), Uche ( hurry ), wise (hurry up). Run Stuffs: Godchaux (6), Tavai (3), Roy (2), Dugger (2), Jennings (2), Elliss/White/Wise (1).

– Coverage: J. Jones (5/5/71 yards/TD), Gonzalez (8/6/44 yards/TD), Tavai (5/4/29 yards/TD), Uche (1/1/20 yards) , M. Jones (3/2/14 yards/INT), McMillan (3/1/9 yards), Wilson (1/1/5 yards), Mapu (2/0/PBU), Hawkins (1/0) .