The Patriots opened the 2023 preseason Thursday night with a lackluster 20-9 loss to the Texans at Gillette Stadium.
Mac Jones and many of the top New England players on both sides of the ball sat out, with backup Bailey Zappe under center to lead a roster of players with less experience, as Bill Belichick had described his plans for playing time earlier in the week. While the game did mark the debut of guys like top pick Christian Gonzalez and popular rookie receivers Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte, it didn’t offer a whole lot of excitement or playmaking from a Patriots perspective.
Through the first three quarters New England’s only points came via Nick Folk 44-yard field goal following a Texans turnover on their opening drive.
It may not have been filled with a lot of highlights – though Texans rookie Tank Dell turned a would-be dropped touchdown into one of the more unlikely scoring plays of the early preseason – but it was a step in the team-building and player evaluation process.
After picking up the pieces from Thursday’s preseason opener the Patriots get ready to head to Green Bay early next week for joint practices and then a preseason game against the Packers.
Thumbs up
Pass rush – The Patriots’ pass rush has been a big story in training camp and that continued early on against C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ line. Daniel Ekuale had a sack on Houston’s opening drive and another pressure on the second drive, which unfortunately led to a roughing the passer call. Stroud was harried a bit on each of his drives by Ekuale, Carl Davis and the rest of the New England front that showed its productive depth. Anfernee Jennings also drew a holding call on a pressure on Davis Mills later in the first half.
Jalen Mills – One of the more proven, experienced players on the field to open the preseason, Mills took full advantage. He hauled in a very much rookie throw from Stroud on the first drive for an interception. He also darted down the line for a tackle for a loss on Houston’s third drive. Mills was making plays early, even if it was mildly notable that he saw so much early playing time with other veteran defensive backs watching from the sidelines. He also brought plenty of energy, including celebrating Calvin Munson’s fumble recovery in the second quarter.
Tyquan Thornton – Normally, two catches for 31 yards is nothing to write about on the internet. But the second-year receiver has been quiet in camp and faces building skepticism. His 27-yard grab down the left sideline was nothing special, but he got open and caught the football. It’s what Patriots fans, and lilkely the team itself, want to see more of in the coming weeks. It was a relatively solid preseason start for Thornton.
New Gillette Stadium video board – In a game that was a bit lacking in notable highlight-worthy action for the home squad, the big, new video board and lighthouse at Gillette Stadium still very much stood out. The size, brightness and versality of the board is a sight to see. Sure, some will conflate construction costs with lack of roster construction, but that’s just stupid. The new video board is pretty cool, now it just needs more exiting action on the field to display via replay.
Malik Cunningham -- New England's rookie WR/QB was the most exciting offensive player on the field when he got to work under center in the fourth quarter, even though he's primarily practiced as a receiver all summer. The undrafted playmaker swiftly showed his athleticism with a couple 7-yard runs and another QB draw that picked up 6 yards before a Texans defender ripped his helmet off for a face mask penalty. He led New England on by far its best drive of the night, capped by his own 9-yard touchdown run that left a Houston defender in his dynamic dust. Cunningham finished with 34 yards rushing on five attempts while also completing 3 of 4 passes for 19 yards.
Thumbs down
Offensive line – In case you haven’t heard, the Patriots' offensive line is an issue this summer. That was true against the Texans as the group up front led by Riley Reiff gave up a jailbreak sack of Bailey Zappe on third down on the first possession. The group also couldn’t open up any running room for Pierre Strong or Kevin Harris to run. By halftime New England had just 6 yards rushing on seven attempts, while Zappe had been sacked twice in 14 total drop backs. Ugh. Whether it's his missing starters or scuffling backups, new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm has a lot of work to get done in the coming weeks.
Bryce Baringer – The rookie punter wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t as awe-worthy as he’s been in camp. His first punt was fine, downed at the 10. His next was a bit of a lower kick off the side of his foot, benefiting from a roll to get 56 yards out of it. His third punt, his second plus-50 opportunity, rolled into the end zone for a touchback. He then boomed a 62-yarder late in the second quarter. Consistency will be the key in game action moving forward for the strong-legged rookie as he tries to lock down the job.
Kevin Harris – The big second-year running back didn’t get a ton of carries or a ton of help from his offensive line. But if he was trying to put up the type of performance that might make the team forget its pursuit of veterans like Ezekiel Elliott, he failed to get the job done. Harris finished the first three quarters with eight carries for just 10 yards (1.3 avg.).