The Houston Texans out-dueled the Atlanta Falcons 53-32 in Sunday’s match-up in front of a home crowd of 71,787 at NRG Stadium. Led by Watson’s five touchdowns, the Texans were able to put together their most impressive win of the season and showcased the potential of this high-powered offense.
Despite giving up 32 points, the Texans defense and special teams played a huge role in securing the win. Whether containing receiver Julio Jones or getting off the field in key early game situations, everyone did their job.
Defensive Line: B+
The defensive line really helped set the tone, and establish the run defense. The Falcons came into Sunday’s game averaging 70 rushing yards per game, while the Texans have allowed 104 per game. The Texans were able to hold the Falcons to 59 rushing yards and no touchdowns. The ineffectiveness of the run game forced the Falcons to put the game in Matt Ryan’s hands. D.J. Reader was especially good and essential in the run defense by controlling the inside gaps, which forced the Devonta Freeman and Ian Smith outside. Reader and Watt combined for 2 sacks, which may not seem like much but don’t let the stats fool you. The pair combined for six QB hits and pressured Ryan the entire afternoon. Watt also recorded 15 pass rush wins, which is the most for any player this season and his 48 percent pass rush win rate is the fourth-highest in a game this season.
linebackers: B
The linebacking corps, led by Benardrick McKinney’s nine total tackles, was flying across the field. The defensive line did an amazing job in causing disruption and issues upfront, and the linebackers did a good job finishing plays. Although Mercilus did record a sack and wasn’t as impactful as he’s been during the first five games, he still had two tackles for loss and a QB hit.
defensive backs: c+
When you limit Julio Jones to only 3 catches and 42 yards, that counts as a win.
Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and the defensive staff did a great job in game planning for Jones and forcing someone else to beat them. Each week, the coaching has shown more faith in rookie cornerback Lonnie Johnson, and cornerback Bradley Roby continues to show why he’s arguably the best free-agent signing from this offseason. Roby recorded a pass deflection and a forced fumble along with six tackles.
Safety Tashaun Gipson had a big pick-six to ice the game and safety Jahleel Addae led the team with 10 total tackles. The numbers favored the DB group the most during the Falcons match-up, but the low grade is due to allowing 15 points in the 4th quarter. The Falcons were held to 17 points coming into the 4th quarter and did not score in the third. Too many big plays were given up, like the touchdown pass to receiver Calvin Ridley.
special teams: b-
The special teams did their job for the most part during the match-up. Excluding a bad punt fumble for Deandre Carter and a miss extra point, the special held their own against Atlanta. Ka’imi Fairbairn surpassed Randy Bullock (61) for the second-most career field goals made in franchise history. The Falcons were non-existent in the return game as well.
Overall, the Texans held the Falcons to 17 points through three quarters, dominated with their run defense, and added a pick-six to end the game. With all of the positive takeaways from this game, the Texans will build off of those and use them as they head into Arrowhead Stadium next week to take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
