NFL NEWS

Texans defense inflicts damage on Saints offense

The Sports Xchange

December 01, 2015 at 12:52 am.

Nov 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is sacked by Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) during the second half of a game at NRG Stadium. The Texans defeated the Saints 24-6. Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is sacked by Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) during the second half of a game at NRG Stadium. The Texans defeated the Saints 24-6. Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON — Shadowing his receivers to block Drew Brees’ usually clear sight lines and passing lanes while relentlessly crashing into him in the pocket, the Houston Texans’ defense inflicted plenty of pain on the typically indomitable New Orleans Saints star quarterback.

It was a thorough beating from a punishing Texans defense that prevented Brees from throwing a touchdown pass and intercepted him once during a 24-6 victory Sunday at NRG Stadium.

Hit seven times and sacked twice by Texans Pro Bowl defensive end J.J. Watt, Brees didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 45 games. That snapped the longest active streak in the NFL as Brees completed just 25 of 45 passes for 228 yards for a 61.6 passer rating. The dominant performance also broke the Saints’ 155-game streak with at least one touchdown that was the second-longest in NFL history behind the Cleveland Browns’ run of 166 games from 157 to 1969.

“It’s not a fluke,” Texans free safety Andre Hal said. “We’re playing hard, playing fast and running to the football. I grew up watching the Saints and Drew Brees, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. When you have a performance like that you feel good about yourself.”

Although it was impressive how the Texans limited the Saints to just 268 yards of total offense, surrendered a season-low 50 rushing yards, zero touchdowns out of three red-zone opportunities and held them to 3-of-12 on third downs, the bigger picture is how the defense has transformed itself from pitiful to approaching a gold standard over the past month.

Embarrassed during a 48-21 blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons and a 44-26 defeat to the Miami Dolphins where they fell behind 41-0 at halftime and gave up 503 yards of total offense, the Texans have given up just two touchdowns in the past 18 quarters going back to the second half of the Dolphins game. The Texans are on a four-game winning streak after allowing just two touchdowns in November, tying them for the fourth-lowest total in the month since 1970.

The Texans’ frustration has turned into elation, fueled by the memory of their shoddy tackling and substandard coverage against the Dolphins and Falcons.

“We just kind of came together and decided enough was enough,” Texans middle linebacker Brian Cushing said. “Losing like that is obviously extremely embarrassing and something we wanted not part of. We just decided right there that was it.

“We just started really simplifying things and playing hard and just had a bad taste in our mouth in a couple of those games and internally promised each other that it wouldn’t happen again.”

Three of the Texans’ last four opponents haven’t scored a touchdown, allowing just 35 points during that span.

How the Texans shut down Brees and the Saints’ second-ranked offense was through a stout formula of Watt providing a pass rush and the defensive backs applying tight coverage. The Texans also held running back Mark Ingram to 52 yards on nine carries, 29 of them gained on a single run.

The key was stopping Brees, though. It marked the second time the Texans have defeated a Pro Bowl quarterback in the past three games, including their upset win over Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.

“Wow, 45 games,” strong safety Quintin Demps said after being informed of stopping Brees’ streak. “Those kind of stats boost your confidence. It lets you know you’re heading in the right direction. We got humbled in the first half of the season. We’re playing hungry and staying humble.”

REPORT CARD VS. SAINTS

–PASSING OFFENSE: B. Brian Hoyer completed his first 11 passes and threw two touchdown passes. He was intercepted once, but that didn’t affect the game as he outdueled Drew Brees.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: B. The Texans repeatedly gashed the Saints on the ground as running back Alfred Blue hit them for 77 yards on 16 carries. He also rushed for a touchdown. The Wildcat offense was effective for the second consecutive week.

–PASS DEFENSE: A. The Texans snapped Drew Brees’ streak of 45 games with at least one touchdown pass. Cornerback Kareem Jackson intercepted him once.

–RUN DEFENSE: A. The Texans allowed a season-low 50 rushing yards on 10 carries, containing Mark Ingram.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: C. Punter Shane Lechler was ineffective at coffin corner punts. The Texans were solid, not spectacular in the kicking game.

–COACHING: A. The Texans won their fourth game in a row, shutting down the second-ranked offense in the NFL.

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