FIRST QUARTER
Saints attempted a 52-yard field goal on their opening drive, but the kick was wide right. On third-and-14, Derek Carr's pass to Taysom Hill was short of the first down after a stop by S Jimmie Ward and LB Henry To'oTo'o.
On the Texans second offensive series, C.J. Stroud threw his first career interception to LB Zack Baun, but WR Nico Collins forced a fumble. OL Tytus Howard recovered at the Houston 41-yard line for a first down. RB Devin Singletary added runs on back-to-back plays for four and 17 yards, respectively. A deep 34-yard pass to Noah Brown had the Texans in first-and-goal territory. Rookie WR Xavier Hutchinson caught a pass at the one-yard line. Stroud capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to TE Dalton Schultz. With 3:41 left in the first quarter, the Texans took a 7-0 lead over the Saints after the six-play, 59-yard scoring drive.
Carr responded with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Alvin Kamara had a seven-yard run to start the drive. Carr threw passes to WR Michael Thomas for 16 and eight yards on consecutive plays. On third-and-7 from the Houston 34-yard line, Carr threw a touchdown pass to WR Rashid Shaheed with 0:13 left in the quarter.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Saints 7, Texans 7
SECOND QUARTER
The Texans offense was back on the field to start the second quarter. Dameon Pierce, Singletary and Mike Boone all had carries for positive yards on the series. Stroud threw an 11-yard pass to Brevin Jordan and deep ball to Nico Collins for 24 yards to the Houston 12-yard line. An incomplete pass on third down set up Ka'imi Fairbairn for a 24-yard field goal to cap off the 11-play, 70-yard drive. The Texans took a 10-7 lead with 10:28 left in the second quarter.
Houston's defense held the Saints to a three-and-out on the following drive. Carr threw an incomplete pass but followed it up with two plays to Kamara. On third down, Ward pushed Kamara out of bounds before reaching the first down marker to end the series.
Stroud threw a 28-yard pass to Collins, his third of the game, for a first down in Saints territory. Singletary added an 11-yard run followed by four more carries. Pierce came in for three more carries. On the next play, Stroud threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Robert Woods. Houston pulled away 17-7 with 2:56 remaining in the second quarter.
The Saints looked to respond but settled for a 48-yard field goal with 0:18 remaining. On third down, Carr was unable to score after CB Shaquill Griffins' pass breakup on WR Chris Olave in the endzone.
END OF SECOND QUARTER: Saints 10, Texans 17
THIRD QUARTER
Both teams punted on their first possessions to start the second half. Cameron Johnston's 63-yard punt pinned the Saints back at the Houston 7-yard line. After a three-and-out forced by the Texans defense, including a TFL by Will Anderson Jr. on Kamara, the Saints punted from their own endzone.
Houston began their next drive at mid-field. Stroud threw a pass to Schultz for a 31-yard gain to get into redzone territory. A defensive pass interference against Collins in the endzone placed the ball at the one-yard line. Two incomplete passes and a tackle for loss on Pierce had the Texans kicking a 22-yard field goal. Houston took a 20-10 lead with 7:01 left in the third quarter.
On the next Saints possession, Carr threw a couple of deep passes, including a 24-yarder to Olave which resulted in a first down at the Houston 14-yard line. DT Sheldon Rankins shot up the middle for a sack on Carr, resulting in a loss of 11 yards to set up third-and-23. After an incomplete pass on third down, the Saints settled for a 45-yard field goal. New Orleans trailed 20-13 with 2:17 left in the third quarter.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Saints 13, Texans 20
FOURTH QUARTER
Saints K Blake Grupe missed his second field goal of the day, a 29-yard kick early in the fourth quarter.
On the Texans first possession of the final quarter, Xavier Hutchinson had a 12-yard run. Stroud was sacked on second down,setting up a third-and-20. Collins made a short catch and added a 17-yard gain, but the Texans would be short of a first down.
Carr threw a deep 51-yard pass to Shaheed to start the New Orleans' next drive. He then handed off to Kamara on five consecutive handoffs and pass. After a run for no gain, Kamara's fifth handoff resulted in a tackle for loss by Cashman and Ward. On fourth down, Houston's defense came up with a big stop by Griffin and Cashman for a turnover on downs.
With 2:41 left, Carr led a quick drive down the field with short passes to Moreau and Kamara. A defensive pass interference on Griffin moved the Saints to the Houston 48-yard line.
The Texans defense kept the Saints out of the endzone on back-to-back plays. On fourth-and-10, Steven Nelson's intercepted the pass, intended for WR Michael Thomas, at the two-yard line. Stroud and the offense entered the game with 0:13 left and held onto the win.
The Texans improve to 3-3 on the season heading into their Week 7 bye.
FINAL SCORE: Saints 20, Texans 13
