The New England Patriots opened the 2023 preseason with a 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans on Thursday night.
But with head coach Bill Belichick’s roster standing at 90, the score at Gillette Stadium took a backseat to the opportunities.
Here’s a glance back before the August calendar turns to joint practices and road games versus the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans.
Cunningham a fourth-quarter spark under center for New England
Mac Jones stayed on the sideline for the exhibition. The quarterbacks behind the third-year Patriots starter did not.