It doesn’t count in the standings and Bill O’Brien fielded a facsimile of the starting line up but there was still plenty to take away from Houston’s 27-13 take down of the New Orleans Saints.
After being named starting quarterback earlier in the week, Brian Hoyer played like it, hitting all his passes on a promising first drive that ended with Alfred Blue’s one yard touchdown run.
Hoyer looked sharp and stayed in the game for two extra series as the offensive line morphed into the second unit. It was no small thing that they kept the heat off him on the opening drive with rookie left tackle Kendall Lamm holding down the edge.