FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — C.J. Stroud had a short and at times shaky NFL debut, Davis Mills threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tank Dell and the Houston Texans beat the New England Patriots 20-9 in the teams’ preseason opener Thursday night.
Stroud, drafted second overall out of Ohio State, played the first two series and went 2 of 4 for 13 yards with an interception. He rushed twice for 6 yards and was sacked once.
Mills — who started 15 games last season — took over for Stroud and finished 9 of 12 for 99 yards while playing the balance of the opening half. His touchdown pass capped a seven-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Dell juggling and pulling in the score from his back.
Dalton Keene added a 1-yard touchdown run and Case Keenum had a 5-yard TD pass to Alex Bachman.
The Patriots gave most of their projected starters the night off, including quarterback Mac Jones.
Backup Bailey Zappe started in his place and went 12 of 14 for 79 yards, playing the entire first half and one series in the third quarter. His best throw of the night was a 27-yard dart to Tyquan Thornton. Rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham added a late 9-yard touchdown run.
SEAHAWKS 24, VIKINGS 13
SEATTLE (AP) — Drew Lock threw a pair of touchdowns passes, including a 19-yard strike to Jake Bobo late in the third quarter, and Seattle beat Minnesota in the preseason opener for both teams.
With starting quarterback Geno Smith serving as a spectator – along with most of the starters for both teams – Lock completed 17 of 24 passes for 191 yards with one interception. He also found Easop Winston Jr. for a 13-yard TD strike.
Third-string QB Holton Ahlers added a 30-yard TD pass to Matt Landers in the fourth quarter.
Nick Mullens led two scoring drives and played a solid first half for the Vikings, solidifying his spot as Kirk Cousins’ backup. Mullens completed 14 of 20 passes for 139 yards and a 4-yard touchdown toss to tight end Nick Muse. Greg Joseph hit field goals of 26 and 54 yards. Joseph was just 4 of 10 on kicks from 50 or more yards last season and is getting pushed with rookie Jack Podlesny from Georgia in camp.
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