Jerod Mayo has a tough message for the Patriots defense after the loss to the Texans

Their defense was supposed to be the foundation upon which the New England Patriots would build their success in 2024. However, six games into the season, the unit continues to underperform, with Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans arguably the lowest point so far.

New England gave up 41 points on the day, the team's first 40 points since a 2021 playoff loss in Buffalo (and its first in the regular season since 2018). Unsurprisingly, there was disappointment after the game.

This prompted head coach Jerod Mayo to have some harsh words for the unit.

“Defensively, I would say the fundamentals of tackling and running passing need to improve,” Mayo said. “You have to improve. I told all these people, 'Today you should feel like crap.' You should feel like crap.' We had two runs of 50 yards. You just don’t win football like that.”

The Patriots' run defense, still without injured Christian Barmore and Ja'Whaun Bentley, has now given up more than 190 yards in consecutive games. Against the Texans, he was unable to stop touchdown runs of 20 and 54 yards in the fourth quarter and a 59-yard dash in the second third.

Additionally, the Patriots allowed Texas quarterback CJ Stroud to go 20 of 31 for 192 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

“We have to find a way to get back to the standard of great defense. “41 points is embarrassing,” defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said in the locker room after the game.

That message was echoed by teammate Marcus Jones, who recorded Stroud's only interception.

“In the National Football League, the margin for error is very small,” he said. “And the thing is, we have to make sure we go back. Anything we haven’t mastered, we need to practice and make sure we get it right for next week.”

However, Jones is optimistic that the team will be able to do so.

“One thing we pride ourselves on is accountability,” he added. “The next guy will tell you, 'Hey, we have to do this.' When it comes down to it, there are no egos. We love the way we criticize each other.”

There was a lot of criticism on Sunday. It started at the top, and Jerod Mayo didn't mince his words after the 41:21 defeat.