The New Orleans Saints face the Houston Texans this weekend and there are a couple storylines to watch in the game. The first storyline is the question every Saints fan has: Can New Orleans replicate last week’s performance? Replication doesn’t look like a 34-0 shutout victory. It looks like seeing the same improvements carry over to this week.
For the offense, that is scoring more touchdowns than field goals, or at least an even amount. Up until last week, the Saints had poor red zone efficiency. Against the Patriots, they scored a touchdown every time the offense made it inside the 20-yard line.
On the defensive side, the Saints aim to shut down a high powered passing attack. The Saints were a mostly bend but don’t break defense at the beginning of the season. Against New England, there was no bending. The Texans have a better quarterback and better weapons, so it likely won’t be as dominant of a performance. The defense just has to try to force field goals similarly to how they did during the beginning of the year. That’s how they became one of the better defenses in the NFL.
The next storyline to watch is how the Texans offense performs without Tank Dell. Dell has been a welcomed addition to the Texans offense. He’s the Texans’ second leading receiver, but he’ll be out with a concussion. Houston still has Nico Collins who is the midst of a career season. Collins is 14 receiving yards and 13 catches away from career highs in each category. John Metchie III could also be in line for more targets. Either way, the Saints secondary can’t overlook this opponent.
