What may have started as total domination by the Houston Texans defense ended up being a more competitive affair as backups hit the field. The Texans’ second and third-string defenders were unable to keep Saints backup quarterback Luke McCown from leading three scoring drives, but they came up big when it mattered. What did we learn from Saturday’s low-scoring game?

Jadeveon Clowney is making a case to remove the label of “Bust” from his draft profile. Finally healthy, Clowney showed off why the Texans drafted him first overall in 2013 as he made tackle Zach Strief and guard Andrus Peat look like glorified placeholders. On one play in particular, Clowney bull rushed Peat and simply shoved him to the ground with one arm. Peat is 50 pounds heavier than Clowney, but the linebacker made him look like a child with that shove. Clowney finished Saturday’s game with two solo tackles, one sack, and multiple impact plays that don’t show up in the stat sheet.

Like Clowney, second-year defensive lineman Christian Covington is looking to make a name for himself in the NFL. With Watt out, Covington is seeing a ton of reps at defensive end, along with Devon Still. The first two preseason games have been stellar for Covington as he has basically set up camp in the backfield on almost every play. Covington broke up multiple plays with strength and surprising speed, finishing with three tackles and one sack. The constant pressure from Covington was integral in the Texans defense limiting Drew Brees to five completions in nine attempts for only 29 yards and a Johnathan Joseph interception.

Texans owner Bob McNair came on the broadcast to discuss his speedy young players and their importance to the offense, and it looks like he has some stars in the making. Will Fuller was targeted often by both Brock Osweiler and Tom Savage, catching four of those passes for 73 yards and one touchdown. Fuller would have more receptions, but Osweiler was off-target on a few passes. Fuller’s rookie running mate, Braxton Miller, continued his progress with three more catches for 34 yards. Miller is an exciting receiver who doesn’t seem to be overwhelmed at all by the NFL speed.

Following last week’s poor excuse for tackling, the Texans secondary was on fire. Kevin Johnson had two perfect tackles in space, including one where he dumped Saints running back C.J. Spiller for a loss on a short pass. Fan-favorite Charles James beat a block and dropped Brandon Coleman with a shoestring tackle. James almost forced a fumble on the same play, but Coleman’s arm hit the ground before the ball popped out. Even A.J. Bouye has shown major improvement in both his coverage skills and tackling. Second-year defensive back Robert Nelson had the game-sealing interception with no time left on the clock. This key play bailed out the Texans pass rushers who committed a facemask penalty on the game-ending sack, giving the Saints one final free play.

The Texans face off against the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday at 4:00 pm EST.