With a record of 1 and 1, the New Orleans Saints will be looking to build momentum going forward this Sunday with a matchup against the 2 and 0 Houston Texans. Offensively, the Saints will have to face a defense that although has struggled in the past, is actually top ranked statistically thus far. The Saints will certainly have their hands full against a physical, talented Houston defense that is still making the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 under new coordinator and former Saints head coach Wade Phillips.
PASS OFFENSE
The AFC south leading Texans are leading the NFL is pass defense, only surrendering 162.5 yards per contest. These statistics are very misleading, however. The Texans’ first two games were against the Peyton Manning-less Colts and the Chad Henne-led Dolphins, two teams that haven’t exactly been offensive stalwarts this season.
Drew Brees has been absolutely amazing to start the season, and I see no reason why he shouldn’t be successful this Sunday. The beauty to the Saints’ passing game is that there are a variety of players at skill positions that can have huge impacts. Jimmy Graham is becoming more of an integral part of the offensive game plan, and this should continue against Houston. Devery Henderson, who has had a great beginning to the start of the season, will be counted on once again as the main deep threat for Drew Brees. Lance Moore, who was mostly uninvolved last week against Chicago, will have a better week and will be counted on more. Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas will be counted on to contribute in the screen game, as they have done so successfully to start the 2011 campaign.
Wade Phillips will try to send pressure at the quarterback. Mario Williams, who is now playing as an outside linebacker due to the new 3-4 alignment, will be the main cog in the machine that is the Texans’ pass rush. ILB Brian Cushing, the former Southern Cal standout, also possesses great pass rushing abilities. Brees will have a tall task in locating Williams on every play, as he is the type of player that has the ability to take over with his physical skill. Quick passes, play action passes, and helping the line with extra blockers (either with tight ends or eligible sixth offensive linemen) should be the antidote for a dangerous pass rush.
RUN OFFENSE
The Saints running game so far in the 2011 season hasn’t exactly been amazing, but that isn’t surprising. It’s no secret that Sean Payton’s offensive mind set in more in tune with passing, and running the ball will be used sparingly at times. The Saints are currently posting just under 100 rushing yards per game, good for 17th in the NFL. Perhaps a more valuable statistic to look at is the average yards per attempt. At a 4.0 yard per carry average, New Orleans is doing exactly what it needs to do when running the ball. Quality of runs, not quantity of yards, should be looked at with higher esteem.
As long as the Saints average around the 4 yard per attempt clip, the running game should be fine. Payton has used his running backs in a rotation for the beginning of the season, and that trend will continue for the rest of the year. The ability to consistently gain around 4 yards per attempt will help the entire offense exponentially, as Houston’s defensive backs will creep forward towards the line of scrimmage, opening up the potential for more long passes from Brees.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Texans LB/DE Mario Williams vs. Saints offensive line will be paramount. The offensive line did an exemplary job against Julius Peppers last week, keeping him away from the quarterback. If the line can keep Williams away from Brees, the offense will be able to make plays downfield and score points. If not, it will be a long day for New Orleans, and could be a deciding factor in the game’s outcome.
