For the first time since a sad September night in 2007, Deuce McAllister played full-contact football.

And though the Saints ended up losing to Houston 31-27, the return of McAllister provided a highlight for the 70,009 fans in attendance. One of the biggest cheers of the night came when he entered the game and ran the ball.

Rogelio V. Solis / Associated Press

Deuce McAllister.

Oh, it also was a good night for McAllister, who finished with 16 yards on four carries.

“It’s a step,” McAllister said. “Truly, realistically, it doesn’t count as far as standings. But it was a step.”

That doesn’t mean he was happy with his performance.

“If I had to grade myself, it was average,” he said. “Good runs. Positive things. But it gives me something to build on going into next week.”

McAllister actually took a handoff from Drew Brees on the opening play of the game, gaining four yards after hitting a hole off of the left tackle.

Getting hit in that scenario actually was a good thing, he said.

"The first play they made a pretty good tackle on me,” McAllister said. “They had a pretty good tackle, but nothing that scared me. I was probably a little tentative at times because I had to make sudden moves.

“It was my first live action, but it was a starting point that I can build on.”

Saints defense falters on third down

New Orleans’ defense a year ago was the downfall in several games. Saturday night, it was the culprit for yet another loss.

And Houston won the game on third down, converting 10-of-14 and 4-of-5 in the first half.

“I really don’t know,” Jonathan Vilma said. “It wasn’t anything we hadn’t seen before. Bottom line is they made plays and we didn’t.”

That said, defensive end Will Smith said looks can be deceiving. Yes, New Orleans couldn’t get the Texans off the field, but then again, the defense was playing at a disadvantage.

“We really didn’t scheme towards them,” he said. “I don’t know why we didn’t, but we didn’t. We came out with a basic plan.”

Vilma sees first action as Saint

Vilma, one of the Saints’ biggest offseason acquisition’s, finally took some live snaps in a game as a New Orleans Saint. He’s coming off of surgery on one of his knees, an injury that kept him off the field for most of the 2007 season.

His assessment of his Saturday night performance?

“My knee felt fine,” he said. “My performance was fine. As a unit, we have to improve. Fortunately, this game doesn’t count.”

Injury report

Cornerback Usama Young left the game with a hamstring injury and will be reassessed Sunday. Cornerback Randall Gay injured a triceps, but a preliminary X-ray came back negative. And nose guard Brian Young left with a sore foot.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey, cornerback Mike McKenzie, safety Josh Bullocks and receiver Adrian Arrington didn’t dress out for the game.