The New England Patriots, in the eyes of many NFL fans, will be the odd team out in the AFC East this year. A decisive defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans in preseason action is only going to reinforce that public skepticism.

Although rookie quarterback CJ Stroud threw an interception on his opening drive and made an overall lackluster first impression, the Texans cruised their way to a 20-9 victory Thursday night. Davis Mills and Case Keenum each threw a touchdown pass each and rookie wide receiver Tank Dell shined with 65 yards and a score.

Still, it will be hard to brush past the Shroud of it all. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft already faces doubt just due to the reputation of Ohio State quarterbacks, so a turnover-free outing would have been a good way to silence some of the doubters. Not much was ever going to be gleaned from his first preseason game, though. NFL Rookie Watch put an even more positive spin on the signal caller's struggles. “The only way is UP for the Texans rookie QB,” they tweeted.

Houston is going to endure growing pains in the preseason and regular season, but a full rebuild will afford some patience from its fans. New England does not have that kind of leeway. Backup quarterback Bailey Zappe was 12-of-14 but only mustered 5.6 yards per pass. The offensive line struggled and helped give way to a stagnant offensive showing eerily similar to the ones fans regularly witnessed last season. Rookie Malik Cunningham ensured there would at least be some positive takeaways from the loss, though.

Related Houston Texans NewsArticle continues below
Dave Portnoy
What does NFL think about Dave Portnoy starring in Patriots’ schedule release video?
New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
Patriots’ Christian Barmore gives major update after blood clots spoiled 2024 season
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sideline against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Falcons take jab at Bill Belichick, Jordon Hudson in schedule release video

Cunningham, an undrafted QB out of Louisville, flashed his versatile skill set in the limited touches he received. The 24-year-old was 3-of-4 passing for just 19 yards but did some damage on the ground with 34 rushing yards and an impressive nine-yard touchdown run near the end of the fourth quarter.

And so we press forward. Both the Patriots and Texans have a lot of work to do in order to take acceptable strides in 2023-24. It might just be the presason, but there should be plenty of motivation coming out of this opener.