Barreling into the New Orleans Saints' backfield Saturday night, Texans defensive end Christian Covington was a disruptive force across the line of scrimmage.

The former Rice standout recorded a sack for a loss of five yards, finishing with three tackles, including two for losses and a pair of quarterback hits.

"Going out there trying to do my job and do what's asked of me, that's one emphasis," said Covington, who's starting at left defensive end with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt sidelined while recuperating from back surgery. "They want me to be able to take control of my gap, shed blocks and make plays.

"Great effort, great communication along the line. We were really gap sound and assignment sound."

The Texans' first-team defense improved markedly after a shoddy performance in the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

They held Saints quarterback Drew Brees to 5 of 8 passing for 29 yards, no touchdowns and one interception for a 29.7 passer rating.

"That's the mentality of the defense we want to be relentless and tenacious," said Covington, who had two sacks as a rookie last season after being drafted in the sixth round. "When you make a big effort like that good things are going to happen."