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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Why Thursday's Patriots-Texans preseason game is more important than most

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 8/10/23

Thursday night's preseason opener for the Houston Texans and New England Patriots is more important than the average preseason game.

The Texans will start rookies C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr., selected second and third overall in the 2023 draft, respectively. Houston is in rebuild mode but can't afford to remain at rock bottom this season. The team traded its 2024 first-round pick to the Cardinals to move up to draft Anderson Jr. third overall.

Thursday will be the first glimpse of whether the Texans' big gamble will come back to haunt them or not.

For the Patriots, perhaps their best opportunity at exceeding expectations and competing for a playoff spot is with their rookie class having a big year. Head coach Bill Belichick said earlier this week that he'll primarily play his young guys who lack NFL experience in the preseason opener.

That means multiple rookies including wide receivers Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas, defensive end Keion White, linebacker Marte Mapu and cornerback Christian Gonzalez should expect significant playing time. No one will win a starting role in Week 1 of the preseason, but Thursday's game is a crucial litmus test to see where New England's rookie class stands a month before the regular season begins.

Boutte, drafted in the sixth round (187th overall), had the play of the day at Patriots training camp on Monday, per NBC Sports Boston. The following day, Douglas, also selected in the sixth round (210th overall) showed off his speed and route running by breaking free from defensive back Myles Bryant.

It’s not fair! Demario Cooks Myles Bryant pic.twitter.com/UNC3XY0gZZ
— pats camp (@patscampvids) August 8, 2023

Gonzalez, Mapu and White were New England's first three picks and are exciting players to watch at each level of the Patriots defense. Rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham should play as well with starting quarterback Mac Jones unlikely to suit up for the game. Jones sat out last year's preseason opener against the New York Giants.

Cunningham has great athleticism, which could make him an intriguing addition to the New England offense as a wildcat quarterback, similar to how New Orleans uses Taysom Hill.

The Patriots are in arguably the toughest division in football, with the Bills, Dolphins and Jets all capable of making postseason runs. The AFC is also stacked with last year's Super Bowl champion, the Chiefs, as well as the Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens, all teams built to make the playoffs this season.

New England was 8-9 last year and made some minor moves in free agency, including signing wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki.

Those moves aren't enough for the Patriots to return to the postseason for the first time since 2020. New England's rookies need to impress early for the team to have a legitimate chance in the AFC.

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