Saints vs. Texans: What We Learned from Houston's Dominant Win

With a statement win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 12, the Houston Texans—led by two-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt—extended their unprecedented winning streak to four games and continued to show the league why they are a top-10 defense in the NFL.

Houston’s offense propelled the team to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter before it handed the reins over to its defense.

And then it was J.J. Watt time.

With his performance on Sunday, Watt joined some legendary company, NFL on ESPN reports:

"

JJ Watt becomes 2nd-fastest player to reach 70 career sacks in @HoustonTexans win. Only Reggie White did it faster. pic.twitter.com/XYTDcwruYk

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 29, 2015"

Watt had seven quarterback hits and two sacks on the day, improving his NFL-leading season sack count to 13.5, as the Texans defense relentlessly rushed Saints quarterback Drew Brees all day.

Watt also reminded us that he can dance and play a little baseball, too, courtesy of the NFL:

"

A Moment in Time with JJ Watt: 1) Sack Drew Brees 2) Bust out the HR Derby Dance #NOvsHOU https://t.co/LY0ZQ66dtp

— NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2015"

“You get in 3rd-and-long against these guys, you are asking for trouble because obviously they dial up the pass rush,” Brees said after the game, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

Brees ended the day with 228 yards and an interception on 25-of-44 passing.

But it was the Saints' inability to convert on third downs that hurt them, as John DeShazier of NewOrleansSaints.com highlighted:

"

3rd-down conversion failed, @Saints are now 1-for-9 on 3rd-down attempts today. Texans came in as best 3rd-down defense in league

— John DeShazier (@JohnDeShazier) November 29, 2015"

New Orleans (4-7), which entered the game with back-to-back losses against the Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans, dropped its third straight game and snapped a streak of 155 games in which they scored at least one touchdown.

Their streak spanned over nine years, according to ESPN NFL Nation reporter Mike Triplett:

"

#Saints' 155-game, 9-year touchdown streak snapped in loss to #Texans https://t.co/1zwLshuO9o

— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) November 29, 2015"

In his first week back from a concussion, Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer finished the game with 205 yards on 21-of-27 passing, two touchdowns and one pick.

The Houston Texans (6-5) remain tied with the Indianapolis Colts for first place in the AFC South.

What may be most surprising is that if the NFL playoffs started today, there would be two AFC South teams in it, something Colts reporter Stephen Holder can’t wrap his mind around:

"

If playoffs started today, Houston Texans would be a wildcard. Two AFC South playoff teams?! Mind blown. https://t.co/tPmE1qA5cD

— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 30, 2015"

If the Houston Texans do manage to make the playoffs, they will be only the seventh team in NFL history to make the playoffs after opening the season 0-2.

However, things look promising for the Texans, who have turned things around after a disappointing start to their season. The Texans will go on the road to face the Buffalo Bills (5-6) next week before returning home to face the New England Patriots (11-1) in a prime-time matchup on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

If the Texans can manage to win at least one of their next two games, they will then go back on the road for what can only be viewed as a must-win game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 20. This game will likely carry crucial playoff implications for both teams and is undoubtedly circled on both teams’ calendars.

However, the Texans have never beaten the Indianapolis Colts on the road.

In order to buck the trend, the Texans will need to deliver their most complete game to date. That likely involves drawing up different schemes to ensure the Colts don’t successfully bottle up star wideout DeAndre Hopkins—as the Saints managed to do on Sunday.