Last week, the Texans gave up points on the final three possessions of the opponent.
This week, the Texans stopped the opponent on their final three possessions to earn win number three and a .500 record heading into the bye week.
This was a team victory, no doubt, but the defense should take a big bow after holding a weapons-heavy Saints team to 13 points, one week after a New Orleans blowout at New England.
For the second straight week, the Houston D kept the adversary to under 100 yards rushing. And yes, the Saints racked up over 400 total yards, including 353 off the arm of David Carr's brother, but that only matters in fantasy football as long as the goal line isn't breached.
View the best photos from the Week 6 matchup between the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints.
Ask the Texans about last week's game, when they had to settle for too many field goals. That was almost the case this week but two C.J. Stroud touchdown passes, with two Ka'imi Fairbairn field goals, on stalled drives, gave Houston its winning total.
The Texans were able to get some pressure on Carr and tallied two sacks. But the former Clements Ranger was able to shake free to make some plays and keep the New Orleans threat going.
Steven Nelson's third interception of the year ended the final Saints drive, and he wasn't alone in what was an all-hands-on-deck defensive effort.
Stroud threw his first career pick, but the ball came back to him right away on a Zack Baun fumble. So, the interception turned out to be a first down for the Texans. The three-game stretch of no sacks allowed by the offense also came to an end. Ultimately, the Texans overcame the obstacles, running for 120 yards, the second highest total of the year, and getting the two TDs through the air.
Now comes the bye and a chance to rehab, regen and reload. Tank Dell missed the game as he continues to recover from a concussion. Getting him and some others back will be a booster shot for a squad that's won three of its last four with gigantic opportunities ahead of them.
The Titans lost to the Ravens and the Jaguars beat the Colts, so the division remains tight. It's still relatively early and it's time to take a breath after what has been a nice launch of the DeMeco Ryans era.
