Yes, we know the Texans have defeated Indianapolis and Miami, bottom-feeders with a combined record of 0-4.

Yes, we know they've played against quarterbacks Kerry Collins and Chad Henne. Collins may be done as a starting quarterback, but Henne did throw for 416 yards and put 24 points on the board in a 14-point loss to New England.

With an excellent game plan devised by Wade Phillips - stopping the pass was more important than stopping the run - the Texans limited Henne to 170 yards and the Dolphins to 13 points. That would be 11 fewer than the Patriots surrendered at Sun Life Stadium six days earlier.

Yes, we know Sunday's game at New Orleans represents a much bigger challenge than the Colts and Dolphins. The Saints are favored by four, and after quarterback Drew Brees gets through with them, the odds are the Texans won't rank first in defense next week.

So, for two games, at least, lets give the Texans some credit for ranking first in total defense, pass defense and points allowed.

So what, you say? Well, if they ranked 30th again, they'd be getting shredded by fans and media - and deservedly so - so why not give them their due and offer some praise for allowing an average of 271 yards, including 162.5 passing, and 10 points?

Last season, remember, they were 30th in total defense (376.9 yards), 32nd in passing defense (367.5) and 29th in points allowed (26.7).

While the Texans were limiting Henne to a 12-for-30 performance and 246 yards fewer than he'd thrown for against the Patriots, the NFL was setting offensive records.

Missing the memo

The Texans have played impressive defense at a time when teams have scored 1,502 points, produced 172 touchdowns and thrown for 15,771 yards - all records for the first two weeks of the season.

Too bad the Texans don't have throwback jerseys because they're playing throwback football. They rank fifth in rushing despite missing Arian Foster for six of eight quarters. The offense ranks an uncharacteristic 22nd in passing because of the emphasis on the run.

Enjoy the No. 1 ranking on defense while you can. Going against Brees, Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) and Joe Flacco (Baltimore) in three of the next four games means the Texans will have a difficult time staying on top.

We shouldn't be surprised by the defensive development. This is Phillips' fifth job as a defensive coordinator. In the first four, he went to a losing team and helped them turnaround its defense and make the playoffs in his first season. He's got the kind of résumé that can't be ignored.

Remember, too, that as the competition improves, so should the Texans' defense.

Imagine how good Mario Williams could be once he actually gets comfortable at outside linebacker. Imagine how good defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Brooks Reed should be once they become more confident in the system.

The improvement of the defense is one reason the Texans are 2-0 for the second consecutive season and trying to become 3-0 for the first time.

'Business as usual'

The players and coaches say being 2-0 this season feels different than being 2-0 last season.

"Every team's different," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I think we've got a lot more poise. Nobody's in here jumping around, high-fiving each other. We're in here business as usual trying to correct our mistakes, trying to understand what we're going to have to do better to win in New Orleans.

"From that standpoint, I think it's a little bit more mature group than we've had in the past."

We'll find out soon if they've matured enough to beat the Saints and Steelers on the next two Sundays.

john.mcclain@chron.com

twitter.com/mcclain_on_nfl