Lamar Jackson shouts out Patriots rookie QB Malik Cunningham after TD scramble in NFL debut
It didn’t take long for Malik Cunningham to catch the attention of another former Louisville Cardinal: Lamar Jackson. A scramble near the end of the Texans-Patriots preseason game raised the eyebrows of the former NFL MVP.
Cunningham scored a touchdown on a 10-yard scramble for New England’s only touchdown of the night. He evaded Houston defenders and was able to find the end zone on a nifty run with less than two minutes to play.
Not a bad showing for the rookie out of Louisville. It’s pretty cool that Jackson took notice of the impressive play in Cunningham’s preseason debut, too. What’s the saying — game recognize game?
Cunningham ended Thursday’s game completing 3-of-4 passes for 19 yards. He also rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
Houston defeated New England 20-9.
Malik Cunningham was not selected in 2023 NFL Draft
As a first-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Jackson probably felt pretty safe about his roster spot with the Ravens as a rookie. That’s not the case for Cunningham.
The former Louisville quarterback signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent. In order to land on a roster, he’ll have to ball out in training camp and in preseason opportunities.
Though he didn’t get a lot of reps during Thursday night’s game, Cunningham did make the most of his opportunity. Perhaps it leads to even more chances under center moving forward.
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Cunningham played in 10 games for the Cardinals last season, throwing for 1,568 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions. He completed 62.4% of his passes. On the ground, Cunningham rushed for 560 yards and 12 trips to the end zone.
Another NFL rookie makes impressive play
Earlier in the game, it was another NFL rookie who made a big play. Texans wide receiver Tank Dell hauled in an impressive touchdown catch to close out the first half.
Dell looked like he was going to drop a touchdown pass from Davis Mills — and technically did. Fortunately, he kept his eye on the ball, and even though he fell down in the end zone near the sideline, he still made the play.
Below is the video of the ridiculous snag to put the Texans on the board:
The rookie wide receiver put up big numbers for the Texans in Thursday’s game against the Patriots. He hauled in five catches for 65 yards and the touchdown grab, all of which came in the first two quarters.