FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Without the benefit of film review, an initial thought on which New England Patriots players’ performance was “up” or “down” in Sunday’s 36-33 win over the Houston Texans:

UP

Danny Amendola: Outside of one decision on a punt return when he let the ball bounce and it pinned the Patriots deep in their own territory, he played big in his return to action, setting the Patriots up with a shorter field on their first touchdown with a 33-yard punt return and then hauling in a 27-yard pass on third-and-18 on the game-winning drive. That’s Julian Edelman-type clutch. “I’ve got a job to do when I’m out there,” Amendola said after having missed one game due to a concussion. “It was good to get back. Missed it last week.”

Tom Brady: He led his 52nd career game-winning drive to bring the Patriots back from a fourth-quarter deficit or tie, and by connecting with wide receiver Brandin Cooks on two touchdowns, he has now thrown a scoring pass to 67 players in the regular season over his career. He is closing on the all-time record of 70, held by Vinny Testaverde. “He’s always been a great quarterback. He is who he is,” Texans defensive end Joel Heath said. “He makes big plays.”

Brandin Cooks: The wide receiver entered the game with five catches for 125 yards in the first two games of the season. He finished with five for 131 against the Texans, along with two touchdowns, including the game-winner. The final catch was close. “It’s a game of inches,” Brady said of Cooks’ effort. “It was a great play.”

Rob Gronkowski/Chris Hogan: Gronkowski finished with eight catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, while Hogan was immense in the first half (four catches for 68 yards, two TDs). On the game-winning drive, Gronkowski’s 15-yard catch on third-and-12 was crucial. “It was a crossing route. I just caught the one pass before on second[-and]-20 and we had to get the drive going. I know a lot of people look up to me to get the drive going. I saw the coverage and knew I had to make a play there.”

DOWN

Dwayne Allen: A first-down pass on the Patriots’ second drive bounced off Allen’s hands, and there was another play where Brady seemed to be looking in his direction (third quarter, 3:07 remaining) but got sacked, both of which seem to capture how the two are struggling to get on the same page.

Devin McCourty: The safety was in coverage on Ryan Griffin’s 12-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, and he might have been a bit late getting over to help on Bruce Ellington’s 29-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 301 yards, and the secondary, led by McCourty, has looked vulnerable at times. “I think Bill [Belichick] said it best after the game. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” McCourty said. “It’s just a constant work in progress. We’ve got to keep after it.”

Nate Solder/pass protection: The starting left tackle was beaten on the edge by Whitney Mercilus -- one of the NFL’s better pass-rushers -- on the play, Brady fumbled and Jadeveon Clowney returned it 22 yards for a touchdown. He was far from the only offensive lineman to have some challenges against one of the NFL’s better defenses: Brady was hit eight times in the game.