FOXBOROUGH ­­— Patriots coach Bill Belichick was effusive in his praise of the Houston Texans during his press conference Wednesday at Gillette Stadium, describing the AFC South team as one that seemed to excel in all phases of the game.

But when it came to third-down defense? Well, that’s where Belichick was particularly impressed by Houston’s defense, coordinated by Wade Phillips, the former head coach of the Boncos (1993-94), Bills (1998-2000) and Cowboys (2007-10).