8. Week 6 vs New Orleans Saints
Luckily for the Texans, most of their non-division games are at least somewhat winnable, and we've already hit the part of the rankings where it wouldn't mind-melting to see Houston win any of these matchups, starting with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints were a decent team on both sides of the ball last season, and have solved their quarterback absence with the acquisition of former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
This is now a solid, tenured team that should be able to handle the Texans if they play up to their level, even on the road. Though questions of what level of standard the Saints are expected to play up to have plagued them since the retirement of longtime franchise stalwart Drew Brees.
Though the New Orleans Saints currently slot as the favorite in this matchup, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Houston Texans pull off a victory here. After all, the perception of the New Orleans Saints has drastically changed in the last few seasons and there is not much evidence to support a night-and-day improvement for the franchise.