HOUSTON -- At an initial glance, and without the benefit of film review, a look at which New England Patriots players are "up" and "down" from Saturday's 27-23 preseason loss to the Houston Texans:

UP

RB Rex Burkhead: His 22-yard catch-and-run touchdown was impressive and he showed decisiveness running up the middle, but the play that stood out most was his blitz pickup on the near interception to open the second drive. Burkhead's willingness to step up and block a blitzing linebacker bodes well for him going forward. As for the touchdown, quarterback Tom Brady said, "He had a one-on-one matchup with the linebacker they had in coverage and he made a really good move to the out, and then broke across to space. I knew there was a lot of space in there if he could make the catch. He made a great catch and obviously a good run. It was a big play."

K Stephen Gostkowski: The kicker who wore a Pedro Martinez No. 45 Boston Red Sox jersey to the game delivered three strikes on his field-goal attempts of 38, 51, and 42 yards. Gostkowski had missed a 56-yard field-goal attempt last week at Gillette Stadium, but his leg looked powerful inside NRG Stadium, which had its retractable roof closed.

RB Dion Lewis: When Lewis played 24 snaps in the preseason opener, some wondered if his roster spot might be in jeopardy. It's hard to imagine that being the case now after a second straight solid performance. Lewis had a solid 29-yard kickoff return in which he showed he is currently the team's top option in that role, and he added 34 yards on seven carries (4.9 avg.) and one catch for nine yards.

DOWN

CB Malcolm Butler: The feisty cornerback appeared to be in good position down the sideline on a 37-yard pass to receiver Bruce Ellington but didn't make a play on the ball. It was hard to tell if Ellington got away with a push, but the play was uncharacteristic of Butler, who later was beaten on a 2-yard touchdown pass.

Offensive line/pass protection: Backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett were sacked two times apiece, absorbing a few big hits. That doesn't always fall on the backup offensive linemen, but there were noticeable shaky moments. Even on Burkhead's touchdown catch, with the top unit on the field, fill-in left tackle Cameron Fleming was having a tough time holding his ground.

DB David Jones: The undrafted safety from Richmond was essentially the last line of defense on running back D'Onta Foreman's 63-yard catch-and-run, but he missed a tackle after linebackers Jonathan Freeny and Elandon Roberts collided, which opened the path for Foreman. Too many big plays given up by the defense in the first two weeks of the preseason.