3 things that will have to happen for the Texans to beat the Saints

Tashaun Gipson #39 of the Jacksonville Jaguars tackles Lamar Miller #26 of the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium on September 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

The Texans face a challenging task Monday night against the Saints. To pull off the W, these are the things that will have to happen:

1. 4/5 of the offensive line

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The trade for Laremy Tunsil gave the Texans a solid left tackle. But from there, the line still has question marks across the board.

At left guard, Tytus Howard is projected to start, which could be an issue for multiple reasons. Howard is a rookie and has been limited in some practices the past few weeks due to a broken finger.

These are the Pro Football Focus grades for the Texans projected center and right side of the line:

Center Nick Martin 59.3

Right guard Zach Fulton 52.6

Right tackle Seantrel Henderson (Last full season 2015) 56.0

That will not get it done. The Texans will need to get those numbers closer to 70 to improve the 62 sacks DeShaun Watson got subjected to in 2018.

2: Secondary Communication

Assuming the Texans run a standard 4-defensive back defense, 50 percent of that secondary is new. The Texans signed Bradley Roby to play corner opposite Johnathan Joseph, while Tashaun Gipson comes over from the division rival Jaguars.

The Saints can beat you in the air with both their wide receivers and running backs. Drew Brees is a Hall of Famer quarterback and will find a weak spot and pick on it. Luckily, Roby and Gipson are both veterans, so the learning curve isn’t as steep.

3: All new backfield

Three-year starter Lamar Miller tore his ACL in the second snap he played in preseason. The Texans have been proactive in getting replacements, trading for both Duke Johnson, Jr., a terrific pass-catching back and Carlos Hyde, who as recently as 2017 was a pretty good running back. Hyde is a bruiser and should get early down work, while Johnson will give the Texans an added dimension in the check down game especially with the team limited at tight end.

One of the smartest things the Texans did with their offseason moves was to trade for running backs who know how to help in pass protection. That describes both Hyde and Johnson.


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Murrow and Emmy award-winning sports anchor & reporter. Avid traveler, mediocre golfer. Loves good food, good friends and southern rap.