3 weaknesses the Saints showed in Week 1 win over Texans

Stopping the run

The Saints couldn’t stop the run. To be fair, the Texans aren’t even an elite running team. They have Duke Johnson Jr. and Carlos Hyde in the backfield after losing Lamar Miller for the season during the preseason.

Including Watson, the three Texans rushers averaged 7.8 yards per game. With 23 attempts and 180 yards on those attempts, each of the three Texans were able to get at least a 20-yard gain on the ground.

On the other side of the field, the Saints run game was also highly effective. Neither team was able to successfully stop the run, and it may, in part, be because of their top-notch quarterback play that took away the attention from the running game.

Even taking away Carlos Hyde’s 20-yard long, he still put up nine carries for 63 yards. In the ground-and-pound game, he was effective for Houston who totaled two more running first downs than the Saints.

The Saints will face teams in the near future with better players pounding the ball into their defensive line than Houston. Next week, they’ll have to deal with Jared Goff and Todd Gurley.

How will they slow those highly lethal weapons down? Their matchup against the LA Rams will help show us if the team’s run defense is something to be concerned about well into the future or if it was a one-game mishap.