Atlanta Falcons Offense Comes to Life vs. Houston Texans as Kyle Pitts, Drake London Star

Sunday's win over the Houston Texans was a statement-making day for several of the Atlanta Falcons' offensive stars.

The Atlanta Falcons (3-2) offense endured a week filled with many difficult questions but answered several in dramatic fashion Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, taking a 21-19 victory over the Houston Texans (2-3) after Younghoe Koo's 37-yard field goal as time expired.

All eyes were on Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder, who had a difficult two-week stretch that led to coach Arthur Smith fielding 13 different questions about his signal caller's performance and job security during Monday's press conference alone.

Ridder's response? Throwing for a career-high 329 yards while completing 28 of 37 passes and rushing for a touchdown before leading his first game-winning two-minute drive to set up Koo's field goal.

But Ridder's stellar day didn't just benefit himself - Smith has come under fire lately for his lack of utilization of former top-10 draft picks Kyle Pitts and Drake London, two standouts who haven't produced at the clip they've proven capable of in large part because of the passing game's inefficiency.

Pitts and London's response? The former's most catches (seven) since Week 7 of his rookie season and most yards (87) since Week 3 of last year, while the latter caught six passes for 78 yards in his second-most productive performance of the season. All of London's catches came in the second half.

Drake London was shutout in the first half but shined when needed most / USA Today

It took the Falcons six plays to march into Koo's field goal range on the game-winning drive. London was the recipient of three of Ridder's five pass attempts. Pitts caught one, as did rookie sensation Bijan Robinson. The other was a five-yard scramble that kept the offense ahead of schedule.

By game's end, 10 different Falcons caught passes, while running back Cordarrelle Patterson, fullback Keith Smith and receiver Scotty Miller all recorded their first offensive touches of the season. Tight end MyCole Pruitt hauled in just his second reception of the year.

Continuing the trend of strong tight end performances, Jonnu Smith caught six passes for 67 yards and continues to emerge as a significant contributor in the midst of a bounce-back campaign.

Versatile and efficient, Atlanta's offense had three drives go at least 70 yards, including the two that preceded the 59-yard game-winning possession.

It's all a direct result of Ridder's career-best day, and a salivating look at how high the Falcons' offensive ceiling can be.

"It's just really about letting the playmakers go make plays," Ridder said postgame.

For the most part, the playmakers did exactly that - though Robinson and Jonnu Smith both lost fumbles, the latter's coming deep in Houston territory. Smith also had a key drop on third down at the end of the first quarter.

Similarly, center Drew Dalman was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty that knocked the Falcons out of field goal range late in the first half.

And so, Atlanta cost itself a number of real scoring opportunities ... but it didn't end up mattering, in large part because of the resiliency this roster has from top to bottom.

Pitts is a strong example of this, battling through a slow start in which he had only 11 receptions for 121 yards through four weeks. His previous season-high's in each category were five and 44, respectively, which were both bested by a considerable margin against Houston.

Earlier in the week, Arthur Smith mentioned that Pitts still wasn't fully healthy. He still may not be - but the former No. 4 overall pick certainly reminded everyone why he was the highest-drafted tight end in league history, taking another step forward in his recovery from last November's second-ending torn MCL.

"It's a long journey back," Smith said. "Everybody's different. When it clicks, it clicks. It was great to see. He got into a rhythm. He made some enormous plays for us."

Atlanta preached all week about getting off to a fast start after several consecutive early-game struggles, but after a three-and-out on its opening possession, history appeared poised to repeat itself.

Until it didn't.

The Falcons scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive as Ridder found paydirt on a seven-yard run. Energy was up. Rhythm was clear. Ridder looked sharp.

But Atlanta's next four drives ended in punts. The two after that were abruptly stopped by fumbles.

And yet, with the Falcons' defense bending but not breaking throughout the day, Ridder and company only trailed 12-7 late in the third quarter.

They responded with a 13-play, 74-yard touchdown drive to take the lead, as Robinson made a head-turning one-handed catch on a shovel pass behind him and beat Texans linebacker Henry To'o To'o in space for a score.

Even with going 39 minutes and 36 seconds between scores, the Falcons' offense set new highs in total yards (447) and first downs (26) while Ridder's 329 passing yards were the most since Matt Ryan's 343 in Week 9 of 2021.

Atlanta battled through adversity time and again Sunday, sending a loud message about what its locker room is made of and the potential this offense - and team - has this year.

But the individual statements made by Ridder, London, Pitts and so many others may prove just as important when it comes to writing the narrative of the 2023 Falcons.

Atlanta's above .500 once again, snapped a two-game losing streak, has re-energized its fanbase and confirmed Smith's belief that his team, no matter what's happened the last two weeks, is going to be just fine and can accomplish big things this season.

"We've got the right guys," Smith said. "Just proud I get to coach these guys."

The Falcons return to action next week when the Washington Commanders come to town. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.