The Saints lead the Texans by a score of 17-16 after one half of play in Houston's Reliant Stadium. Just like their first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Saints defense got off to a slow start, but tightened up after the first half of the first quarter, playing their typical bend-but-don't-break style. The Saints offense
Below is a quick recap of the action and stats from the first half.
The Good
- Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas have both looked solid.
- Kenny Stills is the real deal. He showed incredible concentration on a sideline catch and also grabbed a touchdown for the Saints.
- Luke McCown has been impressive in his backup duties.
- Cameron Jordan and Glenn Foster have applied good pressure; both have sacks.
- Garrett Hartley nailed a 51-yard field goal, his only attempt of the half.
The Bad
- Ben Tate gashed the Saints defense on the ground.
- Tackling has looked sloppy. A lot of ankle biting out there by Saints defenders out there
- Keenan Lewis has been getting abused by Andre Johnson.
- Will Smith left the game early with an apparent knee injury. Fortunately, it didn't look too serious. More on that later.
Team Stats
NO | HOU | ||
First Downs | 10 | 15 | |
Total Yards | 245 | 281 | |
Passing Yards | 202 | 203 | |
Rushing Yards | 43 | 78 | |
Penalties (Yds) | 2(15) | 3(20) | |
Turnovers | 0 | 0 | |
Punts (AVG) | 2(47) | 2(52) | |
Time of Pos. | 12:01 | 17:59 |
Top Performers
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | ||||
Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
L. McCown | 8/12 | 104 | 1 | 0 |
Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
M. Ingram | 4 | 24 | 0 | 23 |
P. Thomas | 4 | 19 | 0 | 9 |
Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
K. Stills | 2 | 54 | 1 | 40 |
M. Ingram | 2 | 28 | 0 | 29 |
D. Sproles | 2 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
HOUSTON TEXANS | ||||
Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
M. Schaub | 15/26 | 213 | 0 | 0 |
Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
B. Tate | 11 | 74 | 1 | 39 |
D. Karim | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
A. Johnson | 7 | 131 | 0 | 39 |
O. Daniels | 4 | 47 | 0 | 21 |
G. Graham | 3 | 27 | 0 | 11 |