Thoughts on New Orleans’ 40-33 victory against the Houston Texans at the Superdome:
What it means: No matter what happens in the later game between Tampa Bay and Atlanta, the Saints still will have at least a share of first place in the NFC South and that’s the most important thing to come out of Sunday. This game was far from pretty for the defense, which is showing a trend of struggling against good offenses.
The streak continues: For the first time in franchise history, the Saints have started a season by scoring 30 points or more in each of their first three games.
The streak continues II: Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns. He now has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 30 consecutive games. That ties him with Dan Marino for the third-longest streak of games with a touchdown pass in NFL history.
What I didn’t like: After throwing a career-high 22 interceptions last season, Brees started this year by going through the first two games without an interception. That streak ended against Houston as Brees was picked off twice.
Unsung heroes: With top receiver Marques Colston out, the Saints continued to get good production from elsewhere. Lance Moore led the way with nine catches for 88 yards and tight end Jimmy Graham had four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Running back Darren Sproles added six catches and Robert Meachem had five catches, including a touchdown.
What’s next: The Saints will play at Jacksonville next week. They won’t be back in the Superdome until Oct. 23 when they host the Indianapolis Colts. After Jacksonville, the Saints have road games at Carolina and Tampa Bay.