The Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints will square off in week 3 of the 2015 NFL preseason. The venue will be the Mercedes-Benz SuperDome in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the time is set for 4pm et on Sunday.
Texans vs Saints Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Saints favored by 3 points, with a total set at 44. Click here to check out our full BetOnline review.
Brandin Cooks is running away from NFL defenses this preseason
My Pick
Houston Texans (1-1) enter the third week of the preseason with head coach Bill O’Brien naming Brian Hoyer as the starter over Ryan Mallett- who will keep his number two slot on the depth chart despite missing practice Thursday after oversleeping. Hoyer has gone 9 for 15 for 119 yards and a touchdown in two preseason games. Despite scoring a couple touchdowns in the first game win against San Francisco, the Texans offense looked rather dormant losing to the Broncos last week while failing to find the end zone. With Arian Foster again bothered by injury to start the season, Andre Johnson off to division rival Indianapolis in the offseason, and Owen Daniels in Denver, Houston will hope to use a new cast of characters to beat opposing defenses this season. Hoyer figures to be looking DeAndre Hopkins way a lot this season , as the former Clemson star appears primed for a breakout 2015 season entering his 3rd campaign.
The potential breakout wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints (0-2) promises to be the second year pro out of Oregon State- Brandin Cooks. After having his rookie year cut short by injury in 2014, Cooks has looked unstoppable early on in the preseason, catching 5 passes for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns in two games. Drew Brees, after sitting out the first preseason game against the Ravens, looked in midseason form last week vs the Patriots, completing 8 of 10 passes for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Luke McCown is also looking sharp in two preseason appearances having gone 11 of 16 for 124 yards and 2 more touchdowns, as he makes his case to be the backup. Despite the loss of superstar TE Jimmy Graham, the Saints offense has looked like a machine early on.
The third week of the NFL preseason is typically the dress rehearsal for most NFL teams, as most starters sit out the final preseason game. The Texans coaching staff has expressed however that they might be more conservative with the playing time of the first string Sunday in New Orleans. Either way, Houston (1-1) has just one offensive touchdown over the last 7 preseason quarters and flat out looks out of sync. Over in New Orleans, the Saints and the city are remembering the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Despite struggling to a 7-9 record in 2014, New Orleans still managed to lead the NFL in offense. In order to make a return to the playoffs in 2015, the Saints will need to improve on a defense that finished second to last a year ago. If Rob Ryan’s guys can get even toward the middle of the pack on defense, the Saints should have a great shot at getting back to the top of the NFC South. The Houston Texans, looking to improve on a 9-7 season in 2014, have just not looked right on offense so far this preseason, while the Saints seem to be in midseason form. The Saints defense is the usual question, and the struggling Texan offense might be just what they need for a confidence boost heading into the regular season. I’m going to take the Saints to cover the spread in route to their first 2015 preseason win.
Play: Saints -3 @ BetOnline.ag
Houston Texans • New Orleans Saints