Houston Texans vs. New Orleans Saints: What We Learned
By Joe Wedra
The Houston Texans got a taste of Brian Hoyer and his potential in 2015 as they battled the New Orleans Saints in the team’s third preseason game. Here’s what we learned from the starters through the exhibition game…
DeAndre Hopkins is still very, very good
We’ve known for several years (even before his entrance to the NFL) that Hopkins was going to be a legitimate target for years in the league. On Sunday, he proved that 2015 can be his best yet.
While we got just a small sample size of what he can do, he made several impressive plays including the one below.
What a catch by DeAndre Hopkins https://t.co/2Phz7NKDR7
— NFL Access (@NFL_Access) August 30, 2015
Brian Hoyer earned the starting job, finding comfort
Hoyer looked fantastic on Sunday, giving his receivers a chance on every ball and leading the unit downfield early.
He finished 7-11 with 82 yards, dropping several balls right in the basket and hitting windows, including this impressive toss to Hopkins:
Perfect coverage?
— NFL (@NFL) August 30, 2015
That's cool.@BHoyer7 and @Nukdabomb are going for 29 yards anyway. #HOUvsNO http://t.co/OXcfhKrz5J
Ryan Mallett may not find it as impressive as the NFL’s official Twitter handle, but Texans fans won’t complain.
Drew Brees and Brandin Cooks = Fire Emoji
If you’re a fantasy football player, spotlight on this duo during your draft.
Cooks has proven his worth about as much as possible during this preseason and his value continues to rise up draft boards. There’s no reason he can’t be a top-10 receiver in PPR leagues by the end of the year.
Back to the real football world, this tandem is going to be fun to watch. Cooks is simply an electric playmaker who should have a massive year in the NFC South.
Reason to worry about the Saints defense?
It was a heck of a performance from the Texans first-team — the same can’t be said for the New Orleans defense.
They were shredded down the field and showed several weaknesses including several long rushes from both Jonathan Grimes and Alfred Blue.
They improved on drive #3, but with the weak depth chart and holes in secondary depth, you can’t predict success. There’s no worry to break out the panic button quite yet, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the Saints enter the season.