Texans vs. Saints: TV Schedule, Live Streaming, Radio, Game Time and More

In what is certainly a candidate for NFL game of the week, the 1-1 New Orleans Saints will host the 2-0 Houston Texans on Sunday. Both teams are atop of their divisions at the moment and both look to be surefire playoff teams at this point.

This game is likely to feature plenty of fireworks with Matt Schaub throwing to Andre Johnson for the Texans and Drew Brees using his full complement of weapons for the Saints. The Houston defense has been surprisingly good this season, but will face its first true test on Sunday.

While the Saints are slight favorites, this game could certainly go either way and will be a great one to watch, particularly for fantasy owners with players in the contest.

Where: Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

When: Sunday, September 25 at 1:00 p.m. EDT

Watch: CBS; KHOU in Houston and WWLTV in New Orleans

Listen: KILT 100.3 FM (Houston) and WWL 870 AM (New Orleans); Sirius Satellite Radio - XM 226 (Internet 867)

Live Streaming Audio: NFL.com Audio Pass ($29.99 for year, $27.99 team specific, $9.99 a month)

Betting Line: New Orleans Saints (-3.5)

What's at Stake?

Both the Texans and Saints look to be favored to win their respective divisions, so a loss would only constitute a temporary step back, while a win would put that particular team in fantastic position. Both teams have been incredibly impressive to this point with the only blemish for either team coming in the form of New Orleans' narrow eight-point loss to Green Bay on opening night.

Houston and New Orleans are each considered to be among the league's elite teams at the moment, so this game should be an excellent barometer for them. Both squads feature explosive offenses, but there are plenty of question marks on defense. This game will go a long way in determining which team is more complete.

Texans' Injury Report

Questionable: DB Johnathan Joseph (Ankle), RB Arian Foster (Hamstring), WR Kevin Walter (Shoulder), RB Derrick Ward (Ankle)

Saints' Injury Report

Out: WR Marques Colston (Shoulder), RB Chris Ivory (Abdomen), K Garrett Hartley (Hip)

What They're Saying

While the Houston Texans started off 2-0 last season much like they have in 2011, there is a different feel with regards to the team this year, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Some of that has to do with the downward spiral of the Indianapolis Colts, but there is a new culture in the locker room as well. 

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"Every team's different," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I think we've got a lot more poise. Nobody's in here jumping around, high-fiving each other. We're in here business as usual trying to correct our mistakes, trying to understand what we're going to have to do better to win in New Orleans.

"From that standpoint, I think it's a little bit more mature group than we've had in the past."

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The New Orleans Saints are expected to get a big boost to their defense this week thanks to the return of defensive end Will Smith, according to NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. Smith was suspended for the season's first two games for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

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Smith was suspended for the first two games of this season after testing positive for the banned substance “StarCaps’’ in 2008. He also was required to forfeit four game checks. Smith hasn’t been formally reinstated yet, but Payton said he expects that by the middle of the week.

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Texans Player to Watch: RB Ben Tate

In the absence of star running back Arian Foster, second-year man Ben Tate has been quite impressive. Tate started in place of Foster in Week 1 and received the bulk of the playing time last week when Foster re-aggravated his hamstring injury.

Tate was a candidate to be Houston's starter last year, but a season-ending injury stopped that from happening. Tate is certainly fulfilling his promise now with 219 yards in two games thus far. Foster's status for Sunday is uncertain, so Tate should once again receive the lion's share of the carries and will be key to Houston's offensive success.

Saints Player to Watch: RB Darren Sproles

Despite having Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas ahead of him on the Saints' running back depth chart, the diminutive Darren Sproles has been New Orleans' most dangerous back by far this season. While he hasn't received many carries, Sproles leads the team in catches with 15 and he is an incredibly dangerous return man.

Sproles creates match up problems for opposing defenses because his small frame allows him to hide behind his blockers on screen passes and get into open space. Sproles' dynamic ability has been a perfect fit for the Saints' offense to this point as he is everything Reggie Bush was, and probably more.

Key Matchup: New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees vs. Houston Texans Pass Rush

While the Saints like to try to establish the run, there is no question that they do so simply to set up the passing game. New Orleans' aerial attack behind trigger-man Drew Brees is among the league's most potent and is almost impossible for opposing defenses to slow down, let alone stop.  

Complacent defenses won't have much success against Brees as he can pick apart any coverage. With that in mind, Houston will have to get to Brees with the pass rush in order to disrupt his rhythm. Unfortunately for the Texans, Brees has an incredibly quick and accurate release, so Mario Williams and company will have to get to him quickly.

On the Hot Seat: New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram

New Orleans Saints rookie running back Mark Ingram possesses all the tools a workhorse running back needs in the NFL, but he hasn't been too effective over the season's first two games. He has averaged just over 45 rushing yards per game and was stopped on the goal line to end New Orleans' Week 1 loss to Green Bay.

While Ingram has a great future, he may be in line to lose carries to Pierre Thomas if he continues to disappoint. Thomas has been far more productive than Ingram with less touches as he is averaging over five yards per carry. Although Thomas is injury prone, he is much more reliable than Ingram when healthy at this point, so his role in the offense could increase.

Prediction

There is sure to be plenty of scoring on the fast track indoors in New Orleans, but the Saints' passing game will simply be too much for the Texans to handle.

Saints win 38-28.