The New England Patriots unofficially opened up the 2023 season on Thursday, losing to the Houston Texans 20-9 in the preseason opener.

Thursday's game didn't really give us much of a taste of anything in terms of how the regular season will go. Many of the regular starters rested, giving opportunities for the backups to shine.

But there might be a few players who played Thursday who will end up playing a big role on this Patriots team. So, let's hit on some takeaways from Thursday's action!

There probably isn't a real quarterback competition. 

Bill Belichick has yet to outright say that Mac Jones is the starting quarterback of the Patriots. But if Thursday was any indication, Jones isn't on the verge of losing his job.

To the surprise of some, Bailey Zappe played Thursday. And not only did he play, but he also played an entire half and then some!

If there is a quarterback competition, why would Zappe play a whole half with backups while Jones got a night off? That doesn't pass the smell test. Just about every legitimate quarterback competition sees both quarterbacks involved in the battle play a good amount of snaps in every preseason game until a winner is determined.

On top of that, Zappe wasn't overly impressive (though that isn't entirely his fault, which we'll get to in a bit). Sure, he completed 12 of his 14 passes, but he only threw for a measly 79 yards. Not great!

So, congrats Jones. You're probably the Patriots starting quarterback, at least for now.

Better hope the starting offensive line is healthy come the start of the regular season. 

If there was one indication that the backups were playing on Thursday, it was the performance of the Patriots' offensive line.

New England maybe played one possible starter on the offensive line, Conor McDermott. But he played left tackle on Thursday after playing almost exclusively right tackle during all of training camp. It didn't go great for anyone as McDermott was notably beaten a few times, allowing a tackle for loss, and was assessed a false start. On the right side, guard Kody Russey and tackle Sidy Sow also looked unimpressive as they didn't give Zappe and the backfield much to work with.

The good thing for the Patriots is that many members of the offensive line that played Thursday are unlikely to play once the regular season begins. It appears Trent Brown is just taking a light workload in camp while Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu are dealing with injuries that should hopefully be healed in time for the regular season. David Andrews rested on Thursday.

A good night for Jalen Mills in his new role. 

Mills had a bit of a shaky 2022 season in his first year as a full-time corner, which led the Patriots to nearly cut him before restructuring his contract.

As they kept Mills, they opted to play him back at safety, where he played for much of his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. In his first unofficial drive back at the position, he recorded an interception (with some help from C.J. Stroud). He also found his way in the backfield on a safety blitz to record a tackle for loss.

Tyquan Thornton makes a decent cameo, Demario Douglas doesn't play much. 

If there was any player under legitimate pressure entering Thursday, it was the second-year receiver. He struggled to make an impact so far in camp, with the sixth-round rookie outshining him.

On the Patriots' first drive, Thornton was about to break loose on a third-down pass play to get open. But the offensive line didn't give Zappe enough time to find. On the ensuing drive though, Zappe had enough time on a third-and-eight to find Thornton on the left sideline. The receiver had to stretch out a bit though and fight for the ball in traffic while staying in bounds to make the 25-yard grab.

Thornton only had one other reception after that, but he did enough to keep people like us from wondering what is up with him for at least another week.

As for the guy who is likely challenging Thornton for playing time, Douglas only played two offensive snaps with some special teams action sprinkled in. That's an indication that Douglas is closer to being a starter than being on the roster bubble.

A strong showing from a pair of young edge rushers. 

The Patriots' edge depth showed on Thursday. Second-round rookie Keion White made an immediate impact, recording a pair of pressure and a quarterback hit in his first couple of drives. He finished the game with three total tackles (two solo) as he already looks disruptive with his monster size.

On top of all of that, White also helped the Patriots get the ball back when Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale wasn't able to control the ball on a pitch. His hit helped Calvin Munson come up with the recovery.

Fourth-year linebacker Anfernee Jennings also had a solid night, recording at least a couple pressures and drawing a holding penalty.

The running backs leave a lot to be desired. 

As we mentioned earlier, there wasn't great protection up in front for the Patriots on Thursday. But none of the Patriots' depth running backs did anything to prove themselves worthy to be Rhamondre Stevenson's backup.

Pierre Strong Jr. showed a little quickness but finished with 21 yards on six carries as his most notable moments came as a check-down running back (he had three receptions for 12 yards). Kevin Harris came up short, rushing for just 10 yards on eight carries as he wasn't able to use his thicker frame to get past defenders.

Malik Cunningham is fun!

The most exciting moment of Thursday's game for the Patriots was when the fourth-string quarterback and undrafted free agent entered.

Cunningham dazzled, mostly showing off his mobility as he rushed for 34 yards on five scrambles, including the Patriots' only touchdown of the game. He added 19 passing yards on four attempts, too.

It's unknown what Cunningham's roster spot might be if he makes New England's final 53. He's mostly played at receiver during offseason practices and in training camp.

But it's clear that Cunningham is one of the Patriots' most exciting players.