New Orleans Saints Week 6 Preview: Texans

New Orleans was able to break their two-game losing streak with a dominating performance against the New England Patriots in week five. After another slow start on offense, the defense was able to break through and open up the floodgates for the Saints to cruise to a 34-0 win against New England. The Saints will now turn their attention to another road challenge when they take on the Houston Texans in week six. The Saints’ offense will be looking for some consistency against the Texans who are still in the mix in the AFC South divisional race.

Saints Get a Much-Needed Win Over the Patriots

Saints TE Foster Moreau (87) – Fred Kfoury III/Getty Images

After starting off the season 2-0, the Saints quickly hit a roadblock. New Orleans dropped two straight games against the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. New Orleans was able to get back on track in week five against the Patriots with a 34-0 win. The offense started off slow, but the floodgates would open whenever the Saints’ defense created a turnover.

Safety Tyrann Mathieu picked off Mac Jones and took it to the house as the Saints were able to get on the board first. From there, the Saints’ offense was able to cash in on their first touchdown in a drought of not finding the endzone in the last few contests. A week after the Saints’ defense gave up 26 points to the Buccaneers, the defensive unit was able to make their mark against the Patriots.

The Patriots’ offense struggled to get anything going all game and the Saints were able to force timely turnovers to increase their lead. On the day, the Saints defense held the Patriots offense to only 156 total yards of offense and three turnovers.

On the other side of the ball, Quarterback Derek Carr was efficient as he finished the contest with 183 passing yards with two touchdowns. Running back Alvin Kamara continues to be a difference maker in his second game back with New Orleans after missing the first three games of the season. Kamara had 22 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown. The Saints with the win moved to 3-2 on the season and will now face their next road test against the Houston Texans.

Know Your Foe: Houston Texans

Texans QB CJ Stroud (7) – Mike Stewart/AP Photo

The Houston Texans currently sit at 2-3 on the season and are coming off a 21-19 loss on the road to the Atlanta Falcons. The Texans lost in the final seconds of the game as kicker Younghoe Koe nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired. The last time the Saints and Texans faced off was in the preseason. Houston came away with a 17-13 victory in the Caesar’s Superdome. Houston is looking to stay in the mix in the AFC South race as the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts sit at the top of the division with a 3-2 record.

The Texans offense is led by rookie quarterback CJ Stroud. In the loss to Atlanta, Stroud went 20-35 for 249 yards and a touchdown. Stroud is off to an impressive start to his career and should be the early favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors if he is able to keep up his momentum. The Texans’ offense will be looking for a bounce back, but that won’t be easy against a tough Saints defense.

Houston has also had some challenges finding their footing in the running game as they rank 30th in expected points added per rush. That doesn’t gel well in this matchup as New Orleans is the second-best defense in that same category. The Texans offensive line has seen improvement from week-to-week and running back Dameon Pierce will be in need of a big game if Houston wants to come away with a victory. Houston also has some young talent in their receiving core as they are led by Tank Dell and Nico Collins.

On the defensive side of the ball, Houston ranks at the top of the league in scoring defense, but on the other hand, they rank at the bottom of the league in passing and rushing yards allowed. The Texans defense gives up 20.0 points per game, which ranks them 11th overall in the league.

Prediction: New Orleans Saints 24, Houston Texans 21