FOXBORO — The Zappe fever was mild on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots gave backup quarterback Bailey Zappe a surprisingly long look in their preseason opener against the Houston Texans, trotting out the second-year pro for the entire first half and the first series of the third quarter before he gave way to third-stringer Trace McSorley as starter Mac Jones dressed but took the night off. Zappe completed 10-of-12 passes for 67 yards and was sacked twice behind an offensive line that struggled to give its quarterbacks time to look downfield in the Patriots’ 20-9 loss.
McSorley was also sacked as he went 1-of-3 for 4 yards in reserve of Zappe. Speedy rookie Malik Cunningham, who took snaps at wide receiver earlier in the game, entered midway through the fourth quarter to give the Patriots a much-needed jolt with his arms and legs.
The Louisville product completed 3-of-4 passes for 19 yards and carried the ball five times for 25 yards in his lone offensive series. He juked Texans linebacker Jake Hansen out of his shoes on a 9-yard carry for the Patriots’ lone touchdown with 1:54 left in the game.
This was the Patriots’ first game since Bill O’Brien returned as the team’s offensive coordinator. Without any offensive starters, it was tough to come to many conclusions about the team’s future on offense, but O’Brien has to hope his top offensive line can play much better than the team’s reserves fared Thursday night.
The Patriots’ first score came early in the first quarter after converted safety Jalen Mills picked off Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud at the Texans’ 37-yard line and returned the ball 13 yards. The Patriots lost 1 yard on their ensuing drive, and kicker Nick Folk booted through a 44-yard field goal.
Trailing 3-0 late in the first half, the Texans put together a seven-play, 62-yard go-ahead scoring drive capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Davis Mills to rookie wide receiver Tank Dell. The Patriots struggled to cover Dell, who caught five passes on eight targets for 65 yards with the touchdown.
The Texans continued their scoring ways in the third quarter as ex-Patriots tight end Dalton Keene picked up a 1-yard touchdown carry on an eight-play, 55-yard drive led by veteran QB Case Keenum. Kicker Jake Bates’ extra point was no good.
Keenum, an experienced starter, proved a tough test for backup Patriots defenders and tossed a five-year touchdown pass to wide receiver Alex Bachman for a third Texans touchdown with 9:56 left in the third quarter on a 10-play, 40-yard drive.
Running back Pierre Strong led Patriots running backs with 21 yards on six carries. Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton was the team’s top receiver with two catches on two targets for 31 yards. That Thornton, a 2022 second-round pick, was playing at all Thursday wasn’t a great sign for his status on the depth chart. Other Patriots top pass catchers dressed but did not play against the Texans.
Cornerback Rodney Randle led Patriots defenders with seven tackles. Defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale had a sack early in the game, and cornerback Christian Gonzalez forced a fumble that went out of bounds.
Patriots defensive tackle Carl Davis and guard Kody Russey both left the game with apparent injuries. Davis went down midway through the second quarter and walked to the pop-up medical tent on the sideline. Russey left the game early in the third quarter and also walked to the medical tent under his own power.
DE Keion White: The massive 6-foot-5, 290-pound rookie churned out a disruptive performance in his preseason debut, totaling three tackles and a QB hit. He wasn’t credited with a forced fumble but made sure running back Dare Ogunbowale couldn’t recover a muffed pitch by annihilating him in the backfield.
WR Tyquan Thornton: Thornton needed to impress after a slow start to training camp. His 27-yard catch was one of the Patriots’ top plays.
S Jalen Mills: The veteran defender looked comfortable in his return to safety while intercepting rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud on a target to wide receiver Tank Dell.
QB/WR Malik Cunningham: Cunningham showed just enough to be the talk of the town after Thursday night’s exhilarating drive. Cunning would be a more exciting third-string quarterback than McSorley.
Offensive line: Zappe attempted just one downfield pass due in part to an offensive line that allowed two sacks and two QB hits. The unit didn’t feature any prospective starters, but the Patriots might have to rely on backups as they deal with four key injuries on the line.
Running backs: There’s shared blame for the fact that Patriots running backs gained just 35 yards on 18 carries. The O-line wasn’t opening many holes, but Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris and J.J. Taylor also weren’t creating enough yards on their own. It’s time for the Patriots to sign a veteran backup behind Rhamondre Stevenson.