The New Orleans Saints travel to face the Houston Texans. The Saints are looking to sustain the momentum from last week’s game. Despite the offensive explosion, the strength of the team is still their defense. For that reason, two of the three feature the New Orleans defense. The Texans feature an offense led by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, a front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Though the offense takes a lot of shine, the Texans come in with a strong defense as well. They’re led by first year head coach DeMeco Ryans, and he has his defense playing stout. Similar to the Saints, a strong suit of this defense is the ability to keep points off the board. Here are the three matchups to watch this week in Saints versus Texans.
C.J. Stroud vs. Saints secondary
C.J. Stroud is off to an historic start to his career. Stroud broke the record for most pass attempts without an interception to start a career. That streak breaks this week. Jordan Love hadn’t thrown a pick before the Saints’ game, either.
The New Orleans secondary is very opportunistic and has intercepted every quarterback they’ve played this year except Bryce Young. He’s fumbled the ball three times the last two games. The Saints secondary is full of talent and is Stroud’s toughest test to date.
Saints defensive line vs. Broncos offensive line
Stroud was sacked 11 times in the first two weeks of the season but he hasn’t been sacked since. It’s not simply about creating sacks. If Stroud is going to throw his first interception, then the Saints will need to apply pressure to rush him into a decision. The secondary typically plays sticky coverage but could use the assist from a good pass rush. Carl Granderson in particular will draw the tough task of trying to beat Laremy Tunsil.
Chris Olave vs. Texans cornerbacks
The Saints’ top wide receiver hasn’t been involved in the offense much these past two weeks. This comes after averaging more than 100 yards per game through the first three weeks. Olave’s productivity should rise back up this week. He’ll likely be involved early in the game just to give him a rhythm. The Texans have been susceptible to the pass as they rank around league average in pass defense.
