Houston Texans vs. Atlanta Falcons Notebook: Defense Falls Apart in Clutch
The Houston Texans fell to the Atlanta Falcons 21-19 on Sunday afternoon.
The offense struggled until the final drive, while the defense did the exact opposite.
So, following the Texans' fifth game of this season, here's what we learned:
1. Texans Defense Aids Offense in the First Half
The Texans offense finished the first half with three field goals by kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn, as they couldn't produce enough big plays to reach the endzone.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud finished the first 30 minutes completing 14-of-22 pass attempts for 173 yards. Most of his connections were short, but receivers Tank Dell, Nico Collins and tight end Teagan Quitoriano each hauled in a reception of 20-plus yards.
Texans running back Dameon Pierce had his best game of the season last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers and it looked like he was in for another good day after his first run went for 15 yards. However, he carried the ball six more times in the half and finished with 20 yards.
Atlanta capitalized on their second offensive drive with a seven-yard touchdown run by quarterback Desmond Ridder, but they were shut down by Houston the rest of the half.
The Texans' main defensive gameplan heading into Atlanta was to stop the Falcons' talented run-game between rookie phenom Bijan Robinson and second-year Tyler Allgeier. The two of them combined for 15 carries for 28 yards.
Similar to Houston, the Falcons also had a couple of long gains in the first half, but they didn't amount to anything as the Texans stopped the momentum.
Texans safety Jalen Pitre and rookie inside linebacker Henry To'oTo'o led the team in tackles with five apiece.
Houston also did a solid job of applying pressure and getting behind the line of scrimmage, as Blake Cashman, Will Anderson Jr., Sheldon Rankins, Jonathan Greenard and Grayland Arnold each logged a tackle for loss.
2. Third Quarter Headlined By Big Plays, But Few Scores
Heading out of the locker room with a 9-7 lead, Houston started off hot with a 14-yard catch by receiver John Metchie in the third quarter. A couple of plays later, tight end Dalton Schultz hauled-in a 12-yard reception, but the Texans would have to punt three plays after.
Robinson had one of his better runs of the day on Atlanta's next possession, but defensive tackle Khalil Davis stripped the ball and defensive end Dylan Horton recovered. However, like the previous possession, Houston couldn't capitalize and ended with another Fairbairn field goal from 42 yards out.
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) runs against Atlanta Falcons linebacker Nate Landman (53).
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Ridder started off strong on the next drive, but Arnold stripped the ball from tight end Jonnu Smith and Pitre recovered for a 22-yard return. Nevertheless, the Texans couldn't produce the next three plays and punted it back to Atlanta.
The Falcons finally got through Houston's defense with multiple long gains and finished the drive with a six-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Robinson early in the fourth quarter. Allgeier caught the two-point conversion to make the score 18-12 in their favor.
3. Stroud's Fourth-Quarter Heroics Were All For Nothing
The Texans couldn't shift the momentum after Atlanta took the lead, as Stroud and company had an immediate three-and-out.
Ridder and company took advantage with a 32-yard bomb to receiver Drake London, and a couple long gains by Allgeier and Pitts led to a 33-yard field goal by kicker Younghoe Koo.
With nearly all momentum gone, Pierce took charge with a 13-yard angry run to open up the drive, followed by a 16-yard catch. Stroud converted the third-and-short sneak, and then connected with receiver Robert Woods for 12 yards immediately after.
Now just 18 yards between Houston and six points, Stroud threw a strike to Schultz in the end zone and a successful extra point gave Houston a 19-18 lead with under two minutes remaining.
The Texans defense was consistent and stout for most of the game, but on the final drive it all fell apart.
Ridder completed numerous short routes and Atlanta was quickly at midfield with lots of time remaining. The young quarterback hit London over-the-middle for 23 yards and Koo finished it off with a 37-yard game-winning field goal at the buzzer to make the final score 21-19.
