The NFL preseason continues on Saturday night as the Houston Texans travel to the Big Easy to take on the defending champion New Orleans Saints.

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The Saints make a trip back to the Superdome for the first time since winning the NFC Championship.

They will look to improve after losing the first game of the preseason 27-24 to the New England Patriots. The Saints will play against the Houston Texans and face a different type of defense than they did in New England. The Patriots employ a 3-4 defensive scheme while the Texans use a 4-3.

The Saints also added a new running back this week.

The addition of Ladell Betts improves an already solid running game. The ninth-year former Redskin is a strong inside runner and blocker who can catch passes too.

The Texans main goal in this game may just be to remain healthy. They lost the first preseason game 19-16 to the Arizona Cardinals, but that was not as important as an injury that occurred in the game.  The Texans lost rookie running back Ben Tate for the season with an ankle injury. Now the Texans will rely on Arian Foster to run the ball and compete against Steve Slaton for playing time in the Texan backfield.

Prediction and Pick

The Saints and the Texans have had combined practices all week and the heat and humidity led to some skirmishes on the field. That intensity should carry over to game time when these teams face off.

The Saints’ first-team offense dominated the Texans' defense during team and 7-and-7 drills in their workouts.

The Saints starters will play well into the second quarter and perhaps up until the half. That includes WR Robert Meachem, who will be making his first game appearance of the preseason since injuring his foot.

The Saints are at home, and it is important for them to win there, even in the preseason. The Saints have a deep rotation at quarterback and veteran Patrick Ramsey is caught in a battle with youngster Chase Daniels for the backup job.

The Texans will be playing to stay healthy and don’t expect too much from any of the backup players in this game. The deep subs on defense were torched late by the Cardinals in the previous game. The Texans don’t emphasize winning in the preseason and should lose this one on Saturday night.

Play on the New Orleans Saints -1

Final: Saints 31 Texans 16