C.J. Stroud had a short and at times shaky 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. Stroud, who was drafted second overall, played the first two series while going 2 of 4 for 13 yards with an interception. He rushed twice for 6 yards and was sacked once. Mills finished 9 of 12 for 99 yards while playing the balance of the opening half. Dalton Keene added a 1-yard touchdown run. 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.
Texans top New England 20-9 in preseason opener for each team
