The Texans defeated the New Orleans Saints 16-9 in their preseason home opener on Saturday night.
Houston kept the Saints scoreless in the first half, limiting Drew Brees to just 5-of-8 passing for 29 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and a 29.7 passer rating on four possessions. Johnathan Joseph picked off Brees in the first quarter, while Robert Nelson's interception on Saints quarterback Garrett Grayson ended the game.
Brian Peters forced a fumble on Houston's first punt, recovered by Johnathan Grimes, which led to Houston's lone touchdown drive. Jadeveon Clowney and Christian Covington both recorded sacks in the win.
"We had a simple man-to-man coverage, five-man pressure," Joseph said in an interview with Texans Radio. "They were trying to run a pick play to get a pick on the backer. Get a mass up on the running back down the sideline and I had a beat on the play. I think the pass rush kind of pushed the pocket and Brees had to get rid of the ball quicker than expected. I was kind of in the right place at the right time."
Brock Osweiler was 12-of-19 for 124 yards on the night. In his second preseason start, Osweiler threw a touchdown and an interception. Osweiler, who exited in the second quarter, led Houston on two scoring drives. Rookie Will Fuller caught Osweiler's 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Texans a 7-0 lead with 9:57 left in the first quarter. Fuller led all Texans wide receivers with four catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Tom Savage was 7-of-12 for 75 yards, leading one scoring drive that resulted in a 46-yard field goal. Nick Novak was 3-of-3, successfully connecting on field goals from 49, 46 and 36 yards. Brandon Weeden completed 4-of-4 passes for 54 yards. Fourteen Texans receivers recorded a reception in the win.
The Texans improve to 2-0 on the preseason and will host the Arizona Cardinals in a nationally-televised game. Kickoff is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. CT.
Check out the best photos throughout #TexansGameday vs. the Saints.
