Houston’s Brian Hoyer will take his first snaps as the Texans starting quarterback after head coach Bill O’Brien made his decision. Hoyer will see plenty of work as he tries to generate some offense for a unit that failed to score a touchdown last week.
ODDS
New Orleans lost both its preseason games by a combined five points while going 0-2 ATS. They opened as a 3.5-point favorite at home with a total of 44.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
The Texans ended their quarterback competition when coach Bill O’Brien named Brian Hoyer as the team’s starter over Ryan Mallett. The coach said Hoyer will see a majority of the workload against the Saints. Neither quarterback distinguished himself particularly well last week against Denver, and both failed to lead a scoring drive. “Brian showed me the most consistency,” O’Brien said. “He’s ready to be our starter.” Naming a starter prior to the third preseason game was the smart move for O’Brien. Allowing Hoyer to play significant snaps with the starting unit without having to look over his shoulder should help the offense.
New Orleans has no worries at quarterback with Drew Brees under center. The veteran led three scoring drives and tossed two touchdowns as the Saints first-team offense carved up the Patriots. He left with a 15-0 lead after the first quarter before New England came back for the win. Brees will have the first half but if he’s as efficient as he was last week, look for coach Sean Payton to give him an early hook. Backup Luke McCown could use the work as could Ryan Griffin and Garrett Grayson, who are battling for the No. 3 job.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
Now that the Texans have named a starting quarterback, it’s vital for coach O’Brien and offensive coordinator George Godsey to get Hoyer settled into the role. “I felt like it was very important to give Brian the chance to run our offense all week, knowing that he was the starter going into this game,” O’Brien said. The starting gig always felt like Hoyer’s to lose throughout the offseason. Houston gave Hoyer the bigger contract and he outplayed Mallett at every turn. Without Arian Foster around at the start, more will be on Hoyer’s plate than the Texans originally planned. O’Brien will need to get more than just game-managing performances from the quarterback in order to make a playoff run in the AFC South.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“The injury has made me hungrier. It was definitely a hard offseason. I worked my tail off to come back. I want to shock the world. That’s the ultimate plan.” – Saints receiver Brandin Cooks, who missed the final six games of his rookie season
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
Cooks drew high praise from New England coach Bill Belichick after the Saints and Pats held joint practices last week ahead of their preseason game. “I’m glad we don’t have to face him twice a year,” Belichick said of the second-year player. Cooks is clearly the Saints No. 1 receiver, but after him the picture gets cloudy. Marques Colston is still in the mix as is Nick Toon. However Toon injured his ankle last week and could be out for a month, opening the competition for Brandon Coleman, Josh Morgan, Seantavius Jones, Joseph Morgan and Willie Snead.
INJURIES
Though they’re not injured, defensive linemen J.J. Watt, Vince Wilfork and cornerback Johnathan Joseph have yet to play in the preseason. The third games is typically the dress rehearsal, but the Texans know how all three perform come game time. There’s a good chance the three don’t play against the Saints.
Toon, who is battling for the Saints No. 2 receiver spot, sustained a high ankle sprain in last week’s game and is expected to be out 2-3 weeks. Defensive backs Jairus Byrd, Brandon Browner and linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Anthony Spencer are likely out.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Behind Brees last week, the Saints looked unstoppable, jumping out to a big lead over the Patriots before giving it up. New Orleans will likely have several defensive starters back in the lineup making things more difficult for the Texans starting quarterback. Hoyer won the job but was simply the better of two average choices. The Saints have a lot to prove on defense and getting their projected starters in the game for the first time will show us just how far they’ve come.
New Orleans 32, Houston 16
BookMaker opened the spread for this Sunday game at -3.5 in favor of the Saints. The NFL odds total surfaced at 44. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints will take place Sunday, August 30, 2015, at 4 p.m. ET at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The contest will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
