Texans vs. Patriots: Malik Cunningham Scores In New England Loss to Houston - LIVE Updates
Football is finally somewhat back.
The New England Patriots play host to the Houston Texans in their first game of the preseason.
For the Patriots, it'll be interesting to see how New England's offense looks under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. Quarterback Bailey Zappe will get the start for New England. Other starters for the Patriots aren't expected to see much if any playing time tonight.
Defensively, rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez is one to keep an eye on as he'll probably see a good amount of playing time.
For Houston, they're ushering in a new era with first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The No. 2 overall pick is getting the start for the Texans.
Stay tuned for live updates of the game.
First Quarter:
Houston will get the ball to start the game. The opening kickoff is a touchback and the Texans get the ball at their 25-yard line.
C.J. Stroud drops back and finds Nico Collins who is pushed out of bounds by Christian Gonzalez for an eight-yard gain on first down. New England stuffs Devin Singletary for a minimal gain. On third and one, Singletary avoids and defender and gets two yards for a first down.
Stroud gets pressured and Daniel Ekuale sacks him for a 15-yard loss. Stroud is pressured again but he spins out and runs out of bounds after gaining four yards. Stroud drops back again and he's picked off by Jalen Mills who returns it to Houston's 24-yard line.
End of possession
Bailey Zappe finds Pierre Strong Jr. for a six-yard gain on second down. Houston gets pressure immediately on Zappe and he's sacked. The 44-yard field goal by Nick Folk is good with 9:43 left in the first quarter.
3-0 Patriots
End of possession
Steven Sims returns the kickoff to the Texans' 18-yard line. Stroud hands it off to Singletary and he gains five yards. Stroud dumps it off to Singletary but it goes through his hands. On third and five, Stroud's pass to Dare Ogunbowale is incomplete but Ekuale is flagged for roughing the passer.
Houston has the ball at its 38-yard line. Singletary gains one yard on the carry. Stroud drops back and connects with Sims along the sideline for five yards. On third and four, Stroud is under pressure again and he runs for two yards before he's tackled by Keion White.
Cameron Johnston's punt goes to Demario Douglas and he calls for a fair catch at the Patriots' 12-yard line.
End of possession
Zappe dumps a pass off to J.J. Taylor and it gains three yards. Strong gets the carry and loses a yard. On third and long Zappe finds Tyquan Thornton along the sideline and he makes a leaping grab for a 27-yard catch.
Zappe finds Tre Nixon for nine yards before he's pushed out of bounds. Harris gets the handoff and he runs through defenders for a two-yard gain and a first down.
Zappe is under pressure and he throws it away. Zappe drops back again and finds Nixon on a screen and he only gains a yard. Before third and nine, Conor McDermott jumps early for a false start. On third and 15, Zappe throws a screen to Taylor and only gains eight.
Bryce Baringer's punt is caught by Sims at the Texans' 10-yard line with 1:52 left in the quarter.
End of possession
Davis Mills is in the game for Houston. Singletary runs for five yards on first down. Mills' first pass is intended for Tank Dell and it's incomplete. On third and five, Mills avoids pressure and then finds Mason Schreck for 10 yards and a first down.
Singletary gets another handoff but gets no gain on the final play of the quarter.
End of the first quarter: 3-0 Patriots
Second Quarter:
Mills is under pressure and rolls to his right before he finds Dell on the sideline. A holding call on Michael Deiter moves Houston back 10 yards. On second and 20, Mills goes deep but his pass intended for Dell falls incomplete. On third and forever, Ogunbowale runs for 10 yards.
Johnston's pass goes to New England's 17-yard line where Myles Bryant calls for a fair catch.
End of possession
Zappe is still out there and hands it off to Strong who runs for three yards. Zappe swings it out to Thornton who gets five yards. On third and two, Zappe's pass to Strong is stopped a yard short.
Baringer's punt takes a friendly bounce and it's downed at Houston's 18-yard line with 11:43 left in the half.
End of possession
Mills tosses it to Mike Boone who runs for eight yards. Boone gets another carry and he breaks a good gain for 12 yards.
Boone gets the ball once more on a toss and runs for three yards. Mills rolls right on a play-action pass and finds Sims but Gonzalez knocks it out of his hands and it rolls out of bounds. Sims had possession and it was a first down for Houston.
Ogunbowale runs for one yard. Mills tosses it to Ogunwale and he drops it before picking up the ball. He's blown up by Keion White and it's recovered by Calvin Munson for the Patriots.
End of possession.
Zappe finds Thornton on a short pass for four yards. Kevin Harris gets the carry and loses two yards. On third and eight, Zappe is under pressure and rolls left before throwing it away.
Baringer's punt goes into the end zone for a touchback with 7:01 left in the first half.
End of possession
Play-action pass by Mills and he finds Dell for 15 yards.
Boone gets another carry and gains two yards. Carl Davis Jr. is down for the Patriots with a lower-body injury. Mills finds Boone for a seven-yard gain. On third and one, Mills' pass intended for Andrew Beck is dropped on what would have been a first down.
Johnston's punt is called for a fair catch by Bryant at the Patriots' nine-yard line.
End of possession
Taylor gets the handoff and gains a yard. Zappe finds Matt Sokol for four yards. Zappe gets sacked as he tries to move up in the pocket on third and five.
Baringer's punt is caught by Dell at the Texans' 25-yard line and he has a 13-yard return with 3:05 left in the quarter.
End of possession
Mills finds Dell for a short pass and he turns it into a 24-yard gain to New England's 38-yard line.
Ogunbowale runs for seven yards on first down before the two-minute warning. Mills' pass to John Metchie on a screen is complete for five yards and a first down.
Ogunbowalie gets the handoff but doesn't gain a yard. Mills finds Dell again, this time for eight yards. Houston calls its first timeout with 25 seconds left in the first half. On third and two from the Patriots' 18-yard line, Mills' pass to Dell is complete for 12 yards and he's pushed out of bounds.
On first and goal from the Patriots' six-yard line, Mills finds Dell again and he makes a bobbling catch in the end zone for a touchdown. After review, the call stands.
Jake Bates' extra point is good with 12 seconds left in the first half.
Texans 7, Patriots 3
End of possession
Kai Fairbairn's kick is fielded by Strong in the end zone and he's tackled at New England's 27-yard line.
Taylor gets the carry and gains three yards on the final play of the first half.
Halftime: Texans 7, Patriots 3
Third Quarter:
New England gets the ball to start the second half and Isaiah Bolden had a good return to the Patriots' 30-yard line.
Zappe is still in the game and his short pass to Nixon turns into a nine-yard gain. Harris gets the handoff and runs for seven yards and a first down.
Harris gets another handoff but is stopped for no gain. Patriots offensive lineman Kody Russey is down on the field with an injury. Kayshon Boutte gets the ball on a screen and gains three. On third and seven, Zappe scrambles and slides a yard short of a first down. New England goes for it on fourth and one, handing it off to Harris and he's stopped short for a turnover on downs.
End of possession.
Case Keenum is in the game and his pass to Gerrid Doaks only gains a yard. Doaks gets the carry and gains three yards. On third and six, Keenum finds Jared Wayne for 19 yards and a first down at New England's 32-yard line.
Keenum hands it off to Doaks for seven yards. Offsetting penalties means they'll redo first down. Keenum's pass to Schreck gains seven yards. Keenum rolls left and finds Xavier Hutchinson for a 20-yard gain to the Patriots' five-yard line.
Kennum's pass to Hutchinson in the end zone is incomplete on first and goal. Doaks gets the handoff and gets four yards. On third and goal from the one, Kennum hands it to Dalton Keene and he punches it in for a touchdown.
Bates' extra point is no good with 7:20 left in the third quarter.
Texans 13, Patriots 3
End of possession
Bates' kick goes for a touchback.
Trace McSorley is in the game for New England. Harris gets the handoff and runs for four yards. McSorley is under more pressure and his pass intended for Nixon is incomplete. On third and six, McSorley gets sacked but defensive holding extends the drive for the Patriots.
Harris is stopped for no gain on first down.McSorley's pass to Boutte is complete for four yards. McSorley escapes pressure and rolls to his right. He reaches for the first down marker as he goes out of bounds but he's well short.
Baringer's punt goes for a fair catch at Houston's 19-yard line,
End of possession.
Keenum's pass is incomplete. Xazavian Valladay runs to the outside for three yards. On third and seven, Keenum rolls right and finds Alex Bachman for a six-yard gain. Houston lines up to punt but Diego Fagot is flagged for a neutral zone infraction to give them a first down.
Valladay runs for five yards on first down. Valladay gets another carry but is stopped for no gain. Keenum drops back and his pass intended for Bachman is dropped.
Johnston's punt is fair caught by Boutte at New England's 13-yard line.
End of possession.
McSorley is sacked for a loss of eight yards. Taylor gets the handoff and loses four yards on the final play of the third quarter.
End the third quarter: 13-3 Texans
Fourth Quarter:
McSorley goes deep on third and 22 from the one-yard line but the pass is incomplete.
Sims returns the punt to New England's 40-yard line.
End of possession.
On third and four, Keenum finds Jalen Camp for a first down.
Doaks gets the handoff and runs for six yards. Keenum is under pressure by Fagot and his pass is incomplete on second down. On third and four, Doaks runs for five yards and a first down in the red zone.
Valladay gets a carry and runs for a yard. Keenum's pass to Johnny Johnson III gains six yards. Keenum looks for Camp on third down but it's incomplete. Houston goes for it and Keenum finds Bachman for a five-yard touchdown.
Bates' extra point is good with 9:52 left in the game.
Texans 20, Patriots 3
End of possession.
Bates' kickoff goes for a touchback.
Malik Cunningham is in the game at quarterback for New England. Strong only gains two yards on the carry. Cunningham keeps it and runs for seven yards. On third and one, Strong runs for five yards and a first down.
Cunningham's pass to Thyrick Pitts gains three yards. On second and seven, Cunningham finds Scotty Washington for an 11-yard gain and another first down.
Cunningham keeps it and runs for seven yards before he goes out of bounds. He keeps it again, running for six yards but a holding call on Patriots offensive lineman James Ferentz moves them back 10 yards. Cunningham keeps it again and he's tackled with an egregious facemask by Houston's Cobi Francis. The facemask gives New England a first down at Houston's 29-yard line.
Cunningham's pass to Strong is complete for five yards. Strong gets the carry and gains three yards. On third and two, Cunningham's pass in the end zone goes off of Nixon's hands. New England goes for it and Strong runs for five yards and a first down to the Texans' 13-yard line.
A false start on Ferentz moves the Patriots back five yards. Cunningham runs for five yards on first down. Taylor gets the carry and he gains four yards. A Houston player is hurt with 2:06 left in the game. Now the clock runs down to the two-minute warning. Cunningham drops back and makes multiple defenders miss on his way to the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown.
New England calls a timeout ahead of a two-point try. Taylor gets the handoff and he's stopped short of the end zone.
Texans 20, Patriots 9
End of possession
The kickoff goes through the end zone for a touchback.
Keenum comes out and takes three knees to end the game.
Final: Texans 20, Patriots 9
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