Top 14 Observations: Houston Texans vs. New Orleans Saints

Observations 5-8 / Texans vs. Saints

• Don’t sleep on Josh Lenz. He followed up a good game against the 49ers with a key catch late in the Saints game. Lenz has a way of getting open when it is most important. It is still unlikely that he beats out Keith Mumphrey and Cecil Shorts, but if he doesn’t there should be a place for him on another roster. Lenz has played for 5 teams and been on three practice squads, but he looks ready to make an impact somewhere.

• Tom Savage was not as sharp as he was against the 49ers. He made one bonehead play that resulted in a Saints’ recovery at the Texans four yard line. Brandon Weeden looked good in mop-up duty and may have closed the gap in the competition for the back-up quarterback spot.

• The starting defense dominated. They pressured Drew Brees, shut down the running game and smothered the wide receivers. Playing without J. J. Watt they looked very much like the defense that throttled the Saints during the 2015 regular season.

• Jadeveon Clowney not only appeared healthy, but he was a force on the dominant defense. In his most spectacular play he overpowered the left tackle and sacked Brees deep behind the line of scrimmage. Playing with both the ones and twos he consistently set the edge and was a constant problem for Brees. With Clowney playing at this level the Texans can mount good quarterback pressure even without J.J. Watt.

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