New Orleans Saints vs Houston Texans Match Player Stats On Nov 29, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Nov 29, 2015

HOUSTON -- Keyed by another stifling defensive performance, the Houston Texans stretched their winning streak to four games with a 24-6 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

Defensive end J.J. Watt recorded his fifth multi-sack game on the season to lead the Texans (6-5), who kept the Saints (4-7) and their second-ranked offense out of the end zone.

With New Orleans threatening in the fourth quarter, Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson produced his 11thcareer interception, a diving grab at the goal line. When the Saints threatened again late in the fourth, a host of Texans defenders converged in the end zone to break up a pass intended for Saints wide receiver Brandon Coleman with 5:43 remaining in the game.

Watt dropped Saints quarterback Drew Brees twice in the second half, increasing his season total to 13.5 sacks and his career total to 70.5 sacks in 75 games. Watt became the second-fastest player in league history to reach 70 sacks (Reggie White, 57 games). Watt added two tackles for lost yardage to his ledger.

The Texans opened both halves with offensive flurries, covering 70 and 50 yards while engineering touchdown drives behind quarterback Brian Hoyer. Tight end Ryan Griffin was the recipient of a 10-yard scoring pass from Hoyer with 6:57 remaining in the first quarter and receiver Cecil Shorts III capped the Texans' seven-play scoring march with a 3-yard touchdown reception with 89 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Texans finished 5 for 5 on third-down conversions in the first quarter.

Houston opened the second half with a seven-play, 80-yard march capped by an 8-yard touchdown run from running back Alfred Blue. Hoyer, whose 37-yard pass to Griffin aided the first drive in the third quarter, added a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Nate Washington on the ensuing march, which ended with a 34-yard field goal from Nick Novak with 6:05 remaining.

Hoyer finished 21 of 27 for 205 yards. The Texans limited Brees to just 228 yards on 25-of-44 passing, including the Jackson interception. Brees had thrown at least one touchdown pass in 45 consecutive games, while the Saints last completed a game without a touchdown in Week 16 of 2005.

NOTES: Texans TE Ryan Griffin recorded his first touchdown of the season, a 10-yard catch capping the opening drive. Griffin missed seven games on short-term injured reserve, and the touchdown marked the Texans' first score on an opening possession this season. ... Saints QB Drew Brees surpassed 3,000 passing yards for the season in the first half, joining Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in league history with 13 3,000-yard seasons. ... Saints K Kai Forbath booted a 57-yard field goal with 1:12 remaining in the first half, the third-longest kick in franchise history (Tom Dempsey, 63, in 1970; Morten Andersen, 60, in 1991). ... With his sack of Drew Brees in the third quarter, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has recorded a sack in five consecutive games for the fifth time in his career.