Malik Cunningham pulled off a football version of playing Shohei Ohtani in the New England Patriots' preseason opener on Thursday.

The undrafted free agent played both quarterback and wide receiver in the Patriots' 20-9 loss to the Texans.

While he didn't record a target during his snaps at receiver, Cunningham dazzled in his lone drive as the Patriots' quarterback. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 19 yards and added 34 more yards on the ground on five scrambles, showcasing the dual-threat ability he had during his time at Louisville.

But playing wide receiver is new for Cunningham, who has almost exclusively played the position during practices with the Patriots so far. Yet, Cunningham doesn't see the challenge, as he expressed confidence when asked if he felt playing both positions is difficult.

“Nah,” Cunningham confidently told reporters. “I feel like I’m a very clever, smart kid.”

Cunningham's confidence exuded to his teammates as well before he entered the game at quarterback. Late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots were still without a touchdown in Thursday's game. Cunningham helped change that though, leading the Patriots on a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was New England's last possession of the game.

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Prior to that drive, he dropped a confident message to some of his teammates.

“We had no touchdowns, so I told the O-line — the whole group — that we were going to go down and score,” Cunningham said. “And that’s what we did.”

Cunningham called his shot. On a third-and-six play from the Texans' nine-yard line, the quarterback scrambled when the pocket collapsed, rushing up the middle before juking Texans linebacker Jake Hansen to get into the end zone for the score. As Cunningham took off for the end zone, a message that wide receivers coach Troy Brown relayed to him played in his mind.

“We had a pass play called and it parted like the Red Sea,” Cunningham said. “I took it up the middle and coach Troy says don’t let one man bring you down — or at least the first man. So when I saw the goal line I was like, ‘I gotta get in there.’ … I got in there and I gave my teammate the ball for the spike.”

As he shouted out Brown following Thursday's game, Cunningham praised everyone that's helped him to his point.

“The coaches, they’ve been doing a good job with me of explaining and breaking it down and helping me learn,” Cunningham said. “The quarterbacks, the receivers — all those guys have been nothing but help to me. So, I appreciate them.”