Tight end Rob Gronkowski spent a lot of time run blocking for Rex Burkhead in his first preseason action since 2012.
Burkhead was making his first game appearance for the Patriots and the wasted no time getting him involved in the offense. Burkhead carried seven times for 20 yards and caught a pair of passes from Tom Brady during his time on the field.
The second of those catches was a 22-yard touchdown in the second quarter and ended the night for many of the Patriots offensive regulars. James White was also involved early and Dion Lewis took over the running duties once Jimmy Garoppolo entered at quarterback with Mike Gillislee not in the lineup.
Brady, whose last game also came at NRG Stadium under very different circumstances, was 6-of-9 for 67 yards. He was almost picked off by Texans safety Andre Hal on an athletic play, but Hal was ruled to have come down out of bounds before completing the interception.