Texans land Marvin Harrison Jr. after first win, aiming for a quick impact

HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud had another strong game Sunday to lead the Houston Texans to their first win.

Now he and the Texans get a big boost with the addition of receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who was acquired in a trade with Arizona this weekend.

Stroud threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to help the Texans to a 26-3 win over Tennessee on Sunday.

Stroud ranks third in the NFL with 1,402 yards passing and he’s attempted 185 passes without an interception to start the season.

“He’s doing a great job of protecting the football but also dishing the ball to multiple people,” coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday. “Really playing the plays confident. Offensive line has given him time to operate on schedule, and he’s doing a great job of just leading this offense. We continue to lean in on what he’s doing well and I can’t say enough great things about the season that he’s having thus far.”

Ryans said Harrison should arrive in Houston on Monday and they will try to get him acclimated quickly so he can help this week. He’s hoping that Harrison’s familiarity with Stroud from their time together at Ohio State will help ease the transition.

“I think anytime you have players who have spent time together, whether it’s college or other teams, just having that prior relationship definitely helps when you come into a new situation,” Ryans said.

Harrison was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft, but failed to live up to expectations in his time in Arizona. He had 885 yards receiving in 17 games as a rookie and 608 yards receiving in 12 games last season. But he had just five catches for 85 yards in the first four games this season before landing on the inactive list for Sunday’s game as the team looked to trade him.

“He’s another really great playmaker,” Ryans said. “He’s crushed a lot of college records. Got multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons in college. All-American, always been a top receiver when he’s been on the field. He has good rapport with C.J. from their time at Ohio State. We’re excited to get him in, add another great player to our group.”

Harrison had more than 2,400 yards receiving and 28 touchdown receptions combined in his last two seasons with the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Harrison gives the Texans another big receiver to play opposite star Nico Collins, who is 6-4 and 222 pounds.

Ryans said he isn’t worried about what happened with Harrison in Arizona and said he’ll start in Houston with a clean slate.

“That’s the great part of being a Houston Texan,” he said. “All the stuff that happened prior to you coming, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what people say about you… if you focus on just being a great teammate, focus on helping the Houston Texans be great, then we’ll be just fine.”

Houston’s defense looked much better Sunday than it had in previous weeks with Ryans taking over play-calling from defensive coordinator Matt Burke. It was the first time since Week 4 of last season that the Texans did not allow a touchdown.

They held the Titans to just 187 total yards after allowing an average of 343.75 yards a game through the first four weeks. The unit also forced two turnovers Sunday after having just three combined entering the game.

The Texans continue to pile up penalties. They had 11 for 95 yards on Sunday after being flagged 13 times for 90 in a loss to the Cowboys last week.

“We have to get the penalties cleaned up,” Ryans said. “It’s not good enough at all for us ... if we want to continue to progress as a team, we have to clean up the penalties. You can’t hurt yourself.”

DE Will Anderson had another great game Sunday to lead the defense. The fourth-year player had three sacks, three quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.

Anderson’s 7 ½ sacks and 10 tackles for loss are both first in the NFL and he’s the only player this season to have at least 2 ½ sacks in multiple games.

“He’s the best defensive player right now on our team, probably in the NFL,” Ryans said. “He’s just everything you want. You talk about a guy who plays with passion, a guy who has this undeniable strain and relentlessness to him, that’s what Will exhibits every single time he lines up on the field.”

WR Kayshon Boutte hasn’t made much of an impact this season after being traded from New England in August after receiver Jayden Higgins sustained a season-ending knee injury. Boutte had just three receptions for 38 yards Sunday and has 153 yards receiving in five games this season.

Ryans said RB David Montgomery (groin) and S Jalen Pitre (shoulder) will be listed week to week with their injuries.

25 — Sunday’s win gave the Texans 25 wins in the series against Tennessee to take their first lead in the series, a 25-24 advantage.

The Texans face a big challenge this week with a trip to London to face the AFC South-leading Jaguars, who are 4-1.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans watches play against the Tennessee Titans during the second half of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) celebrates after sacking Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward during the second half of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) celebrates his touchdown catch against the New York Giants with Cardinals guard Isaiah Adams (74), offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (70) and offensive tackle Elijah Wilkinson (65) during an NFL football game, in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud celebrates after running the ball for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/John Amis)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The color purple filling the Superdome's field-level stands near the visitors' sideline as time wound down in the New Orleans Saints' Week 5 loss to the Vikings was hard to miss.

So, too, were the visiting, red-clad fans triumphantly chanting, “A-T-L!” during the anticlimactic final minutes of a Monday night home loss to the rival Falcons in Week 4.

If the traveling Raiders fans were less noticeable in Week 3, it was only because they also wear black.

The Saints (1-4) will leave New Orleans this week on the heels of three deflating home losses that have transformed them from emerging hopefuls to win the NFC South into a team that looks increasingly desperate to avoid falling out of playoff contention for a sixth straight season.

“Losing the way we have lost these last three games is gut-wrenching,” said Saints first-year guard David Edwards, a high-profile acquisition in free agency who was expected to bring with him a winning mentality from his previous team, Buffalo.

“It sucks. The competitor in you wants to smash your face against the wall," Edwards added before stressing that, rather than inflict self-harm, the Saints instead should figure out how to move forward "in a way that’s constructive and positive and moving people together.”

After an overtime loss in Week 1 and a comeback victory at Baltimore in Week 2, the Saints were tied for the NFC South lead and a return to NFL relevance appeared possible.

Edwards stressed that those games provided hard evidence of the Saints' ability to play well when there is the requisite level of synergy, focus, discipline and effort across the roster and staff.

Without it, the Saints merely show flashes of potential amid a flurry of inconsistency that has resulted in a blown second-half lead against Las Vegas, followed by double-digit losses to Atlanta and Minnesota.

“Sometimes, you go through storms,” second-year Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “Inevitably, storms end. But we’re going through a little bit of one.”

“This is the NFL; no week's going to be easy,” Moore added. “Our guys got to keep sticking together, keep working, and I think we'll come out of this thing in a positive way.”

The Saints won't be back in the Superdome again until after Halloween. They can only hope their prospects for this season look a little less scary by then.

The Saints' defense ranks 11th in the NFL against the pass, allowing just 212 yards per game through the air. None of their first five opponents has passed for more than the Las Vegas Raiders' 227 yards against them in Week 3. However, opposing teams haven't had to play from behind very often and therefore haven't been pressed to abandon their running games.

The running game, which accounted for 55 yards against the Vikings. That was the third time in five games this season that the Saints have rushed for 65 or fewer yards, including just 50 in their lopsided Week 4 loss to Atlanta.

The offense as a whole struggled on Sunday, gaining just 142 yards — 156 yards less than any of its previous four games, and 327 yards less than in Week 1.

Moore, who designs and calls the offense, was quick on Monday to blame himself, primarily, for not mixing in enough play-action fakes or screens to counter opposing pass rushes.

“Obviously got to do a better job there,” Moore asserted grimly. “I have to create more opportunities to be in the play action and screen game."

Defensive end Carl Granderson returned from a one-game absence because of an ankle injury and had 1 1/2 sacks of Kyler Murray to go with two tackles for loss and two QB hurries.

Kicker Daniel Carlson, signed just before the start of the regular season, missed an extra point, after which Moore said: “We just got to look at that. Obviously, he missed an opportunity.” Carlson also has missed two field-goal attempts, albeit from 50 or more yards.

Kick returner Jayden Price, a 26-year-old, third-year pro out of North Dakota State who made his NFL regular-season debut this season, fumbled during a kickoff return to open the second half, leading to a go-ahead TD for Minnesota.

The Saints did not appear to have any significant injuries against Minnesota, but Shough's left, non-throwing hand appeared to be bothering him at times. The second-year quarterback declined to say whether his left hand was broken and asserted that the Week 4 injury has not hindered his ability to operate under center.

14 — The number of games the Saints have lost in the Superdome out of the 19 times they've played in their home stadium since Week 3 of the 2024 season.

The Saints travel to play the New York Giants (3-1-1), and then head directly from there to Paris, where they'll serve as the home team against Pittsburgh in the first NFL game played in France.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) passes while being pressured by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson (55) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young gestures toward fans during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) walks toward the sideline after throwing an incomplete pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)