Saints vs Texans Game Preview: New Orleans Favored in Road Game
Rookie Quarterback C.J. Stroud Will Be Tested By Ball-Hawking New Orleans Secondary
Favored New Orleans Saints Are Looking to Win In Houston For the First Time
New Orleans heads to Houston for the first time since 2015, and thanks to a top-five ranked defense, the Saints vs Texans game preview has visiting New Orleans as a slight favorite.
The last time the teams met, the Saints emerged with a two-point win. Houston has won the two previous home games against the Saints.
According to the NFL odds, New Orleans is a 1-point favorite on Sunday.
New Orleans is 15-5 against the NFL betting lines when listed as the road favorite dating back to the start of the 2019 season. During that stretch, Houston is 5-18-1 as the home underdog.
Houston won its lone game this season as a home underdog, with the Saints splitting its two games as a road favorite.
New Orleans bounced back from a loss to division rival Tampa Bay by shutting out the New England Patriots the last time out, with Houston losing to Atlanta on a field goal on the last play of the game.
The Saints look to move up in the NFL power rankings by posting their third road win of the 2023 season.
A quick peek at the NFL schedule shows New Orleans will face another AFC South team next week when Jacksonville comes to town. Next up for Houston is a matchup with Carolina in a game featuring the top three NFL players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
New Orleans is tied with Atlanta at +175 for the best odds to win the NFC South title, with Houston (+650) having the longest odds to win the AFC South championship.
Saints vs Texans 
Day/Time:
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Line: New Orleans -1
Total: 42.5
Streaming: FOX
Saints Getting Defensive
New Orleans ranks in the top five in points allowed in both the first and second quarters. That has played a role in New Orleans being ranked fourth in the NFL in points, yards, and passing yards per game allowed. Keep that in mind regarding the Saints vs Texans game preview.
The Saints return seven of their top eight tacklers from last season, and linebacker Pete Werner, cornerbacks Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor, as well as rookies Isaiah Foskey and Bryan Bresee, have been drafted in the last three years as the Saints have rebuilt their defense.
The total has gone under in each of the last 10 games played by New Orleans.
Rookies Delivering For Houston
The Houston Texans made a huge move on draft day by trading up for edge rusher Will Anderson.
While the Texans paid a steep price, the Texans got playmakers on both sides of the ball with two of the first three picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has not thrown an interception in his first 186 passing attempts; Anderson has 21 tackles and one sack, with receiver Tank Dell second on the team with 324 receiving yards. Dell is working his way through concussion protocol, which could factor into the Saints vs Texans game preview.
Houston has covered in seven of its last 10 games.
Last Meeting
In a game featuring three lead changes in the fourth quarter, Wil Lutz kicked a 58-yard field goal as time expired to give New Orleans the 30-28 win in a 2019 matchup.
Houston, listed as the 6.5-point underdog, took the lead on a touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to Kenny Stills with 37 seconds left. That touchdown put the game over the 51.5-point total.
The home team has won each of the five games between the teams with Houston covering in three of the last four meetings.
Saints vs Texans Betting Preview
New Orleans has won six of its last seven games against AFC South Division teams. However, they are just 1-4-1 against the spread in the previous six contests.
They are facing a Houston team that has lost eight of its last nine home games.
When looking at the NFL odds this week, the total is 42.5, and only five games set for Week 6 have lower numbers.
The Saints will try to slow down the passing game led by NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Stroud.
New Orleans is tied for third in the NFL with seven interceptions, while Houston joins the San Francisco 49ers as the only NFL team yet to throw an interception this season.
Houston is just a game out of first place in the AFC South Division, with New Orleans 1/2 a game behind division-leading Tampa Bay in the NFC South.
Offensive linemen Andrus Peat and Landon Young, tight end Juwan Johnson and defensive back Lonnie Johnson are questionable for the Saints. At the same time, safety Marcus Maye is set to return from a three-game suspension.
For Houston, Dell, cornerbacks Shaquill Griffin and Tavierre Thomas, linebacker Christian Harris, and offensive tackle Josh Jones are questionable.
Houston looks like an improved team, but it is hard to pick against the visiting Saints and their swarming defense in this NFL matchup.
For NFL betting news, betting on NFL analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
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