The New Orleans Saints are slated to square off in a star-studded matchup against the Houston Texans in the 2019 NFL season opener. Among the notable stars headlining this showdown is quarterback Drew Brees and defensive end J.J. Watt.

Watt knows his defense is going to have their hands full trying to contain the high-powered Saints offense. According to Avery Duncan of the Texans Wire, he offered up some high praise for Brees ahead of their matchup:

“He’s one of the best to ever do it,” Watt said.

“The level that he’s done it at, for the amount of time he’s done it at, and he’s a guy who’s so well respected around the league because of the way he attacks the game and the way he respects the game and the way he goes about his business,” Watt said.

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There is certainly plenty of truth to Watt's comments. Brees had already put together a Hall of Fame career before breaking a number of the NFL's passing records. He has now solidified that notion by withstanding the test of Father Time.

The 40-year-old was voted on by his peers as the best quarterback going into the 2019 campaign. It is safe to say that Watt may have been among them considering his recent praise. Regardless, he will be doing everything in his power to ensure that Brees does not look the part against Houston on Monday Night Football.

Houston lost some serious star power up front after trading outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks. The onus will be on Watt and the rest of the defensive line to pick up the slack against Brees.