In their first outing since the departure of Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks, the Houston Texans faced a big test in this talented New Orleans Saints offense. For the most part, they failed to pass the test.
Defensive Line
The Saints offensive line had the Texans’ front line in their pockets all night long. Only on a few occasions was Drew Brees forced out of the pocket, and only once was he sacked. J.J. Watt was double-teamed most of the night, and veteran right tackle Ryan Ramczyk did a solid job of slowing Watt down, barring one play late on when he drew a penalty from the Saint.
D.J. Reader and Angelo Blackson both had a few plays where their ability to penetrate quickly shone through, but on the whole, it was an extremely disappointing and quiet night from the linemen.
Grade: C-
Linebackers
The bright spot on this Texans defense, Whitney Mercilus was easily the defense’s MVP on the night. He finished with the team’s only sack and an interception, as well as recording one of the defense’s two defended passes.
Benardrick McKinney was the leading tackler among linebackers with six, as well as recording an impressive tackle for a loss of seven yards. Zach Cunningham continued his form from last season, racking up six tackles and seeming at times to be the only defensive player capable of bringing down the Saints running backs.
Overall, the linebackers struggled in the second half once the Saints started using running back Alvin Kamara, who finished with 97 yards rushing and 72 receiving, more heavily. The loss of Clowney was certainly being felt in their run defense.
Grade: C+
Secondary
To be objective, they did limit Drew Brees to just two touchdowns on the night, but overall they struggled. Aaron Colvin picked up where he left off in 2018, in that he looked completely out of place and a step behind everyone else for the most part. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle pointed out, he was at fault for two touchdowns as well as a 40-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
Why defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel chose to play such soft coverage (for the most part) against a talented receiver corps like this is an utter mystery. Ultimately, this combined with poor play from the secondary allowed Michael Thomas and company free reign to rely primarily on short pickups and comfortable passes for Brees.
The secondary allowed a total of 370 yards passing on the night, and most worryingly, looked as clueless as they did in 2018.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
A widely uneventful night for the Texans special teams unit. DeAndre Carter returned just the one kick for 12 yards. The Texans did, however, allow a 21-yard punt return and a 15-yard kick return on two of the five returns they faced, something coach Brad Seely will be extremely unhappy about.
Meanwhile, Ka’imi Fairbairn finished four of four on extra points with no field goals attempted, and Trevor Daniel landed just one of four punts in the 20 and was arguably at fault for Fairbairn’s missed extra point (which was later replayed due to a penalty) thanks to poor holding.
