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No Drew Brees, no problem for the fourth game in a row to improve to 5-1in an ugly defensive battle against the Jags 13-6. Here are my observations:
The Good
-The defense held it down yet again. At halftime, the Jags had only 110 yards of offense and ended the game with 226. This was the third game in a row allowing less than 300 total yards. Defensive stars Cam Jordan (two sacks) and Marshon Lattimore (an interception) led the way.
-Teddy Bridgewater completed 67% of his passes against the Jags. His poise in the pocket allowed him to remain calm and hit open receivers. No wonder teams wanted him to come in to potentially start for them this past offseason. This stretch proves he still has what it takes to be a starter in this league.
-Eight of Bridgewater's completions went to Michael Thomas. He hauled in those passs for a total of 89 yards, but didn't score a touchdown. However, he was open or made a play on the ball every time Bridgewater needed him. How he was so wide open on several instances is beyond me.
The Bad
-Bridgewater was pretty inaccurate today. While he had a decent completion percentage, he sailed quite a few balls. Luckily, they weren't intercepted. These throws are the ones that typically get tipped and/or picked off and can change a game, especially one played this close.
-Alvin Kamara was held in check. He totaled 18 touches for 66 yards and failed to score. Kamara is the X-Factor on offense for the Saints. His struggles coincided with the team's low output. It's a wonder they won despite the Jags doing such a good job holding him down.
-Speaking of low output, the offense averaged a paltry five yards per play. The Jags defense is stout, but it's aso susceptible to being beat. The Saints offense did just enough to win, but these type of performances aren't going to cut it against a team that has a better offense on the days the defense can't bail them out.
The Ugly
-No touchdowns scored in the first three quarters of play. Both defenses came to play. While I happen to like defensive games, it's the offenses that sell tickets and creates interest outside of the football faithful. It took until the 11:49 mark of the 4th quarter before ther Saints scored on a Bridgewater touchdown pass to Jared Cook.
-Going 5/13 on 3rd down conversions is a recipe for disaster. That's 38% for the mathematically challenged. Again, if the defense isn't able to bail the offense out by playing shut down ball, the offense will have to step it up.
-Demario Davis laid out Jags tight end Geoff Swaim in the 4th quarter. He was flagged for unnecessary roughness as the hit was to Swaim's head. Thankfully he was able to walk off the field, but stayed down a little while. Davis immediately took his helmet off and kneeled down as he's known for being a good sport and surely didn't mean to potentially injure Swaim.
The Jags are always a tough opponent, provided they're playing with their heads on their shoulders and not up their asses. Fortunately for the Saints, they played just a bit better than the Jags did, but not by much. I happen to enjoy games like this because I appreciate good defense. Some of you would disagree, and that's OK. Up next are the Bears, in Chicago. I fully expect another defensive struggle. If they can survive next week, the bye week comes and Brees should be back the week after. This may be the best team in the NFL right now all things considered.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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