Texans vs. Saints Notebook: Defense, Starting Offense Shine

The Houston Texans finished the preseason on a strong note.

The Houston Texans defeated the New Orleans Saints 17-13 in their final preseason game on Sunday night.

The two of them have very different expectations heading into the regular season, but they shared the same objective of wanting to win in preseason Week 3.

So, following the Texans' "third game" of this season, here's what we learned:

1. Texans' Starting Offense Finished The Preseason on a Strong Note

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans had his starting offense out on the gridiron for two drives, coming away with seven points.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud seemed to show signs of nervousness with each dropback against the New England Patriots in the preseason opener two weeks ago. He was often hesitant and waited a long time to release the ball.

However, in the past two weeks, he seemed much more poised in the pocket and made much better decisions.

Stroud completed 2-of-4 pass attempts for 16 yards and a short touchdown to receiver Nico Collins against the Saints. He had a nice 13-yard connection with tight end Dalton Schultz, who ran a zig route, to extend the touchdown drive.

One of Stroud's incompletions was a beautifully thrown ball to Collins that fell into his hands, but Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor got his arm in there to break it up. 

Regardless, several players and coaches have said throughout training camp how much Stroud improves on a weekly basis and this game furthered that statement.

Nevertheless, the drive wouldn't have ended so well without rookie receiver Tank Dell's 26-yard punt return to start the possession in Saints territory. But he, nor Stroud, was the hero of the drive.

Second-year running back Dameon Pierce recorded just one carry on the Texans' first drive for three yards but finished the second (touchdown) drive with five attempts for 30 yards.

Pierce was best known for his ability to break tackles and accumulate a ton of yards after contact last season. He's expected to continue evolving his expertise this season and started on the right foot in his short stint against the Saints.

2. Texans' Defensive Pass Breakups Ruled The First Half

Saints quarterback Jameis Winston and rookie Jake Haener finished the first half completing a combined 16-of-28 attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown. Both of them were consistently accurate on their incompletions as well, but the Texans' secondary broke up a ton of targets that came their way.

Cornerback Ka'dar Hollman led the half with three pass breakups, including one on third down.

Cornerback Shaquill Griffin leaped in front of intended receiver Jontre Kirklin and batted the ball away in the first quarter. Safety Jalen Pitre was seen leaping for joy on the sideline during the replay.

Defensive end Dylan Horton, linebacker Cory Littleton, safety Eric Murray and Desmond King each contributed a pass breakup as well by the end of the first half. However, King's was on third-down and he also tallied a sack and a QB hit, which led to an incompletion.

Nevertheless, the Texans' pass defense wasn't perfect in the first half, as Saints tight end Jimmy Graham hauled in three receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown...Yes, you read that correctly. Kirklin also had three receptions but for 37 yards.

Despite the great plays by 36-year-old Graham, the Texans won the half and eventually the game as well, after a couple of interceptions.

3. Texans' Defense Often Reached Behind The Line of Scrimmage

While Texans running back Mike Boone consistently crossed beyond the line of scrimmage (seven carries for 51 yards and a touchdown), the same can't be said about the Saints running backs.

Haener took matters into his own legs once for a 26-yard gain, but none of the Saints' running backs finished with that many yards. Ellis Merriweather and Kendre Miller combined for 16 carries for just 46 yards (2.8 yards per carry)

Nevertheless, most of the Texans' tackles for loss came early in the game, but they still added up to be more than the Saints. Pitre, King, Littleton and edge rushers Jerry Hughes, Jonathan Greenard and Adedayo Odeleye each contributed one in the category. Defensive tackle Khalil Davis' tackle for loss was a sack.

Houston also doubled New Orleans' quarterback hits numbers, as Davis recorded two, Odeleye, Horton, King and defensive linemen Maliek Collins, Hassan Ridgeway and Derek Rivers each logged one.

The Rams front seven has made numerous additions this offseason, so it's good to see them off to a good start.

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