Atlanta Falcons Clutch, Win 21-19 as Time Expires vs. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans gave the Atlanta Falcons a good fight, but the home team came out on top in the end.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 8, 2023

In this story:

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are back in the win column after a 21-19 win against the Houston Texans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Falcons trailed with less than two minutes to go after Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown to tight end Dalton Schultz to take a one-point lead.

However, Desmond Ridder (in arguably his best game to date as a pro), led a drive that ended with a Younghoe Koo field goal to give the Falcons the win.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) is tackled by Houston Texans linebacker Jake Hansen (35) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. — Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) is tackled by Houston Texans linebacker Jake Hansen (35) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Dale Zanine-USA Today Sports

Ridder looked as sharp as he has this season, throwing for a career-high 329 yards and a touchdown on 28 of 37 passing. He also ran in for a touchdown in the first quarter to give Atlanta its first lead of the game.

The defense also did its job by forcing Houston into field goals instead of touchdowns. By settling for three instead of seven, the Texans let the Falcons in the match when it could have been far more lopsided.

In the fourth quarter, Ridder found Bijan Robinson for a flip pass and caught it for a touchdown that gave the Falcons the lead in the fourth quarter. Bijan carried the ball 14 times for 46 yards while Tyler Allgeier had 17 carries for 40 rushing yards.

C.J. Stroud played well for the Texans, completing 20 of 35 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown.

The Falcons are back in action next Sunday when they host the Washington Commanders at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Published Oct 8, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.