Davon Godchaux lashes out at the Patriots defense after their loss to the Texans

The New England Patriots offense, led by Drake Maye, scored a season-high 21 points on Sunday. That should have been enough for New England to leave Gillette Stadium victorious on Sunday, according to defensive veteran Davon Godchaux.

“Even if you think we won the game, the offense gave us 21 points,” Godchaux said on his locker post play. “Normally our defense, the standard, the opposing offense doesn’t score 21 points.”

The opposite happened as New England allowed 349 yards to CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans offense en route to a 41-21 win. That performance included 192 yards on the ground, marking the fourth straight game in which New England allowed over 130 rushing yards.

“Guys just have to take responsibility,” Godchaux said in the locker room. “If you thought the game was over in the third quarter, it's really just about being proud. It just doesn't look like we're proud. I mean, I just don't know how to win. That's what matters. Really just frustrating.”

Similar problems from recent weeks emerged on Sunday as Jerod Mayo pointed to a lack of fundamentals in defense. While Godchaux didn't want to blame the referees for two early penalties in the third period, flags and missed tackles continued to plague New England's defense.

“These teams don’t really beat us, we beat ourselves,” Godchaux said. “It's one thing for me to come here and say, 'Oh man, this team is really good.' There's nothing we can do about it. They are a good left tackle and a good offense. You're blowing our minds.' But that's not it. It's just missed tackles, botched assignments and the fact that you're where you're supposed to be. And there's too much of not doing that. I could go on, but it is what it is.”

Some of the defensive woes early in the season were due to injuries, as New England lost key run defenders in Christian Barmore and Ja'Whaun Bentley. Elsewhere, Kyle Dugger has missed time while Jabrill Peppers is currently on the NFL's Commissioner Exempt List.

While that has led to defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington having to rely on younger players as replacements, Godchaux isn't willing to use the loss of talent as an excuse.

“Last year we also lost big chunks and were still a great defense. “It’s really just an excuse when someone says that,” Godchaux said. “There’s always a next-man-up mentality. You get paid to do a job where you perform at a high level that few people in America could do. That's why you have to approach it this way: If you're not a starter, you're a starter because you're actually one play away from being a starter. I feel like people don't take that approach. We have to do a better job as a team of figuring out how to win games – close games.

“We're preparing great… this is the best place I've ever been where we're preparing so great. We just have to take advantage of it and put it on the field. There are too many excuses, too much lack of detail. It’s not good enough.”

Despite the score being 1-5, the veteran defender noted that New England still has winnable games left. Kicking off next week in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Godchaux's squad will look to get back on track.

“It's like defense, man, we just have to find a way to get back to the level of a great defense,” Godchaux said. “41 points is embarrassing.”