What a high the New Orleans Saints (3-2) must be experiencing heading into their Week 6 matchup with the Houston Texans (2-3). Beating the Bill Belichick-led New England Patriots as the road team is a tough enough assignment. But the Saints didn't just beat the Pats, they demolished them, 34-0. To the point that Patriots fans have begun to do something that felt impossible not that long ago: doubt Bill Belichick.
The Saints caught the Patriots coming off a disastrous loss to the Dallas Cowboys and subsequently picked on a weakened opponent. By contrast, the Texans enter this game with some good vibes around the team and a lot of confidence. That confidence stems in large part from the play of rookie QB C.J. Stroud. Stroud looks like a franchise building block, and hitting on a pick like that has a ripple effect on the entire franchise.
One week after potentially burying a dynasty once and for all, the Saints now look to throw cold water on a young upstart. Can Stroud and the Texans put up more of a fight than Mac Jones and the Patriots did? Or will the more experienced Saints handle their business again?
It's time for some Saints predictions. Let's make them bold for Saints-Texans Week 6.
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3. Chris Olave gets back on track
WR Chris Olave got out of the gate fast in 2023, racking up 302 receiving yards across the season's first three weeks. But in the last two Saints games, Olave has been quiet, catching three passes for 16 yards versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patriots. His targets have dropped in each game as well.
So what gives? Weeks 4 and 5 do coincide with RB Alvin Kamara's return from suspension, and he's been heavily involved right off the bat. There's only one ball and so many players, so something had to give. QB Derek Carr's balky shoulder also didn't help Olave's case.
But Carr looked pretty good against the Patriots and has practiced in full this week, so he should be without limitations on Sunday. Look for the Saints to heavily feature Olave in this against a Texans secondary that's been battling the injury bug all season.
2. C.J. Stroud finally throws an interception…
One area C.J. Stroud has excelled at immediately is keeping the ball away from the other team, at a historic rate. But a rookie QB facing this veteran Dennis Allen defense is going to make mistakes, and New Orleans has the kind of defensive backs that will capitalize.
Only three teams allow fewer passing yards per game than the Saints, and only the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers have intercepted more passes. Stroud is going to throw an interception eventually; it might as well happen this week.
1. …but leads the Texans over the Saints
This one is a bit of a prediction from the gut, but hey, let's roll with it. The Texans came into 2023 with basement-level expectations. They probably won't make the playoffs, and even a winning record would be a resounding success.
But DeMeco Ryans has a good thing going. Stroud looks like the real deal, the team has sneaky good wide receiving depth with Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Tank Dell, and John Metchie III, along with TE Dalton Schultz. The Texans' scoring defense ranks 11th in the NFL.
Much like the Las Vegas Raiders under Derek Carr, the Saints feel like a team treading water. Probably good enough to win nine or 10 games and win their division, but not a team anyone else is afraid of. High ceiling, low floor. They are dangerously close to the NFL's squishy middle ground.
This feels like a big opportunity for Houston. They can get to .500 in front of its home crowd and continue to stick around in the AFC South race. The Saints probably should win this one, but there's something about Stroud and this team that makes it feel like they'll pull this one off somehow.
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