The Morning After: Malik Cunningham sparks Patriots in 20-9 loss

TMA: Some observations from the Patriots’ 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans on Thursday night.

The Morning After, and football, is officially back after the New England Patriots hosted the Houston Texans on Thursday night in Foxborough.

Even though the Patriots lost the exhibition match 20-9, there were some things to build upon and be excited about as the team treads forward to their Sept. 10 regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Patriots offense stalled early playing behind an inexperienced offensive line. They’re still working through the details on offense, but it is improved from last season. So there’s hope the unit can be better down the stretch.

Here are some observations from Thursday’s game against the Texans.