Three studs, three duds of Texans outclassing lesser Patriots

FOXBORO, Mass. – Houston Texas showed on Sunday why they are one of the best teams in the NFL. The New England Patriots showed why they are one of the worst, even as Drake Maye made his first career start.

The disparity was evident on the Gillette Stadium turf as the Patriots were outclassed by the Texans, suffering a 41-21 loss at Gillette Stadium. For the Patriots it is the fifth defeat in a row.

Here are three guys and three duds for the Patriots in their lopsided loss:

PIECES
DeMario Douglas, WR
The calls for Douglas to be more closely involved in the crime appear to be a thing of the past. He was Maye's first choice in the rookie quarterback's first career start. Douglas is one of the few receivers in New England who can consistently provide separation. He caught a team-high six catches for 92 yards with one touchdown. Douglas' touchdown grab – the first of his career – was impressive as he intercepted a slant shot from Maye on third-and-5 before passing Texans safety Eric Murray. It's clear that Douglas is New England's best offensive playmaker right now.

Marte Mapu, S
Mapu is developing into a playmaker at all levels of defense. He fended off a false pass interference penalty that led to Houston's first touchdown of the game and delivered a strong performance. He registered five tackles and even managed half a sack on Texas quarterback CJ Stroud.

Mapu, who briefly left the game in the first half with a neck injury, also played a key role in the interception Stroud threw in the second quarter. Stroud forced a pass into the end zone to tight end Dalton Schultz, but Mapu was in good position to intercept the pass and his deflection landed in the arms of Marcus Jones. The Patriots must be encouraged by what they saw from Mapu in two games.

Hunter Henry, TE
With Henry involved, good things seem to be developing for the Patriots offense. Take New England's second scoring drive, for example. The Patriots rushed for 70 yards in seven plays, with Henry gaining half of those yards on two catches. He moved the Patriots into Texans territory with a 30-yard reception before capping the drive off with a 6-yard touchdown catch. Getting Henry, who caught three receptions for 41 yards in the loss, more involved would help the Patriots' offense.

Honorable Mention: Marcus Jones, Kayshon Boutte, Drake Maye.

Idiots
Demontrey Jacobs, T
The Patriots' offensive line is a liability, which was evident in Jacobs' poor performance on Sunday. The right tackle struggled mightily in his third career start and was constantly overworked by Houston's elite edge rushers.

Jacobs' day didn't start well as he was warned for a false start and then was clearly beaten by Will Anderson Jr. for a sack on Drake Maye in the second quarter. Danielle Hunter's hit on Jacobs on the first drive of the third quarter almost turned into a catastrophic situation for the Patriots. Hunter torched Jacobs before piercing Maye with a strip bag. The lost fumble was made worse when Maye was shaken on the play.

Ja'Lynn Polk, WR
The Patriots selected Polk in the second round in April as an impact player on offense. But he was invisible in Maye's first career start. Polk received just four targets and had one meaningless reception for four yards. Polk also dropped two passes thrown his way.

The biggest problem for the rookie wide receiver is his inability to create distance from defensive backs. They stick to him like glue, making catching much more difficult or forcing the quarterback to turn elsewhere while Polk is covered.

Patriots defensive line
The Patriots were hurt again by an opponent's rushing attack. A week after the Dolphins ran for 193 yards against the Patriots, the Texans followed that up by running for 192 yards. Houston averaged 6.9 yards per carry and took complete control from the first drive of the game.

The Patriots gave up just 116 yards rushing in their first two games of the season, but have now allowed four straight games in which their opponent rushed for at least 130 yards.

Honorable Mention: Austin Hooper, Christian Gonzalez, Zach Thomas.