Texans 100 is back for a second season, and inter-conference play kicks it off as Houston travels to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints.
First, we take a look at the series facts before delving into the Pro Bowler who enters his third NFL season as the answer to the city’s franchise quarterback problem.
SERIES FACTS
1. The Texans are 9-8 (.529) on Opening Day while the Saints are 17-35 (.327) all-time.
2. The Saints are 2-0 against the Texans at home. Among AFC South opponents, the Saints are 5-3 against AFC South opponents with their best mark 4-1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
3. The Texans are 2-2 against the Saints with an 0-2 mark at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
4. The Texans are 0-2 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Jaguars are the only other team to have never won in that venue with an 0-3 mark.
5. In Opening Day games following seasons where the Texans made the playoffs, Houston is 3-1.
6. In Opening Day games following seasons where the Saints made the playoffs, New Orleans is 4-7.
7. In Opening Day games on the road, the Texans are 2-3.
8. In Opening Day games at home, the Saints are 12-23 at home.
9. In Opening Day games in prime time, the Saints are 2-4 with a 2-1 record at home.
10. In Opening Day games in prime time, the Texans are 2-0 with a 1-0 record on the road.
11. The Texans lost to the Los Angeles Rams 22-10 in their preseason finale. Here is the correlation between preseason finale results and Opening Day results since 2002:
2002: L-W
2003: L-W
2004: L-L
2005: L-L
2006: W-L
2007: L-W
2008: L-L
2009: W-L
2010: L-W
2011: L-W
2012: W-W
2013: W-W
2014: L-W
2015: L-L
2016: W-W
2017: N/A-L
2018: W-L
12. The Saints lost to the Miami Dolphins 16-13 in their preseason finale. Here is the correlation between preseason finale results and Opening Day results since 2002:
2002: W-W
2003: L-L
2004: L-L
2005: L-W
2006: L-W
2007: W-L
2008: L-W
2009: L-W
2010: L-W
2011: L-L
2012: L-L
2013: L-W
2014: L-L
2015: L-L
2016: L-L
2017: L-L
2018: W-L
deshaun watson facts
13. Watson will join David Carr and Matt Schaub as the only quarterbacks in club history to make consecutive Opening Day starts.
14. Watson is set to become the first Texans starting quarterback to make consecutive Opening Day starts on the road.
15. Watson is facing the Saints for the first time. Here is how other Texans starters fared:
Brian Hoyer: 1-0
Matt Schaub: 1-1
David Carr: 0-1
16. Watson set a single-season franchise record with a 103.1 passer rating.
17. Watson is 4-1 in prime time with a 122.4 passer rating. His lone road win was his first ever start, a 13-9 win at the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017.
18. 6/10 of Watson’s top-10 career games in passer rating came with Will Fuller on the field. His 156.0 rating, his career high, came in Week 8 of 2018, the game Fuller tore his ACL.
19. Watson’s 62 sacks sustained in 2018 were tied with Ken O’Brien in 1985 and Steve Beuerlein in 2000 for the fifth-most since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
20. Watson was tied with Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield for the ninth-most red zone passing touchdowns with 20.
21. Watson was tied with Derek Carr for the 10th-most third down conversions through the air with 56.
22. Among quarterbacks, Watson had the seventh-most third down conversions on the ground with 12.
23. Watson’s 22 third down sacks were tied with Cousins and Marcus Mariota for the fifth-most in the NFL.
24. Among quarterbacks with at least 70 attempts in the red zone, Watson was tied with Cousins and Drew Brees for the absolute fewest interceptions with zero.
25. Watson was tied with Dak Prescott and Brees for the most red zone rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with five.
