Texans @ Falcons
Final Score: Texans XX, Falcons XX
Writer: Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)
The Texans and Falcons met this weekend in a battle for a winning record: both had reasons to be optimistic about their young offenses, and both were hoping to impress en route to a 3-2 record. The Texans struck first, putting up a field goal. Atlanta countered on the next drive with a Desmond Ridder seven-yard scramble for six. Houston managed two more field goals in the half as both teams struggled to find much rhythm. For Houston, the early success came in the air while they struggled on the ground. For Atlanta, it seemed like the run was most effective–especially Bijan Robinson.
The second half saw Atlanta cough up the ball on a Bijan fumble (yikes) followed by another Texans field goal. Atlanta approached the red zone before Jonnu Smith coughed up the ball, keeping it 12-7. Atlanta’s next drive made it to the nine before another untimely fumble; this time they held on and Bijan Robinson made a sleight-of-hand catch for the score. The two-point conversion went to Tyler Allgeier and it was 15-12. Atlanta added a field goal and then Houston finally decided to find the endzone at the end of an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped with a touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz. Atlanta took the ball back with 1:49 to go and went on a quick drive into field goal range, winning on a game-ending field goal for the 22-19 finish. Houston leaned heavily on the pass while struggling to find much traction on the ground. Atlanta relied on quick-hitting plays to simplify decisions for Desmond Ridder. Atlanta wins and improves to 3-2 while Houston falls to 2-3. Here’s what I saw this week.
Three Up
- CJ Stroud looks poised and accurate from the pocket
- Desmond Ridder excelled running the Falcons’ quick-strike offense
- Bijan Robinson has amazing hands and is such a natural runner
- Drake London looked like the most impressive WR in this game
Three Down
- CJ Stroud looks uncomfortable on the move
- Dameon Pierce and the Texans’ run blocking struggled all game long
- Atlanta’s fantasy handcuffs (Jonnu to Pitts, Allgeier to Bijan) are going nowhere
Houston Texans
Quarterback
CJ Stroud: 20/35, 249 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, 2 yards
CJ Stroud has been the heralded rookie QB so far, and I was excited to see what he was all about. Stroud has been averaging over 300 yards per game and already led his team to two wins. Well, I was impressed with parts of Stroud’s game. He looked comfortable and accurate from the pocket. Stroud made a pair of good passes on the first drive before the rushing attack stalled and they settled for a field goal. On the third drive, Stroud hit Tank Dell for 22 and Nico Collins for 25 before a five-yard loss on the ground stalled the attack. Stroud hit a 22-yard pass on the next drive before a run for no gain put them in a tough second-and-long that stalled the drive. Where Stroud struggled was when his pocket didn’t hold up; it felt like every play where Stroud was rushed he struggled to hit his throws. He clearly prefers plays to stay on schedule like some sort of anti-Mahomes. Stroud will be as good as his O-line.
In the second half, Stroud mostly struggled. The first drive of the half ended when he floated a pass to Nico Collins. The next drive faltered on another off-target throw. The two drives that followed each saw a pass I thought should have been picked: one tipped and the other read well by a defender who just couldn’t hold on. Stroud still has no career interceptions which is an amazing feat–as well as an NFL record. I like what I see here and hope Stroud continues to see good protection.
Running Back
Dameon Pierce: 20 carries, 66 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards
Dameon Pierce had a real workman-like effort today. While CJ Stroud saw mostly good protection, the O-line seemingly stopped trying on the run plays. Pierce was met in the backfield, including once each on the team’s first two drives. Pierce is effective with good blocking, but not a special talent in my opinion. His best carry was the first of the team’s second drive when he ran hard into contact, spun off, and turned an eight-yard gain into 15. Pierce will go as far as this offensive line allows, which wasn’t far at all today. He started finding more space in the second half as Atlanta seemingly wore down, but it was too little too late. Pierce is the only game in town here, but he needs much better blocking than he saw today.
Devin Singletary: 1 target
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dalton Schultz: 10 targets, 7 receptions, 65 yards, TD
Dalton Schultz looked like the receiver (I know, tight end) to watch in Houston today. Stroud targeted him early and often, and Schultz was sure-handed, including on the team’s lone touchdown. At least one of the three missed targets was an off-target throw and I didn’t see Schultz drop anything. He has a great rapport with his young QB and it showed today.
Tank Dell: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 57 yards | 2 carries, -4 yards
Tank Dell also showed well today on his three receptions. His second catch was a big 22-yard gain. In the second half, Tank plucked a ball right before it hit the ground. He drew a pass interference on the same drive. Tank Dell is still growing into a role, but he already shows promise.
Nico Collins: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 39 yards
Nico Collins caught a nice 20-yard pass in the first half, as well as a pair of balls on the team’s last drive of the half to make it 9-7. Collins only saw one target in the second half–a floated pass from Stroud he didn’t have a chance at.
Robert Woods: 9 targets, 3 receptions, 30 yards
Robert Woods honestly had more targets than I saw in this one; it just didn’t quite work out for him today. One miss came with Stroud on the run–where Stroud struggles. Woods dropped a ball that hit him on both hands. Yet another pass just looked like a case of excellent coverage. We know Woods is usually reliable, but he honestly wasn’t anywhere close to the level of impact his targets suggest.
Teagan Quitoriano: 1 target, 1 reception, 22 yards
John Metchie III: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Desmond Ridder: 28/37, 329 yards, 1 TD | 4 carries, 10 yards
While I had heard good things about Stroud, the reviews of Desmond Ridder haven’t been so glowing. After he missed his first pass to Drake London, I thought ‘Here we go!’ Well, Desmond Ridder played well today, though I have to give the game plan a lot of credit. The Falcons ran a quick-strike offense, often taking the ball out of Ridder’s hands before two seconds had passed. The Falcons also did a good job of supporting Ridder with a strong rushing attack. On the team’s second drive–their lone first-half score–Ridder hit Jonnu Smith on a bootleg for 12 before four consecutive runs. Ridder then hit Kyle Pitts with a beautiful pass into a tight window before running it in himself. Ridder stayed sharp on the next drive, hitting Mack Hollins in another tight window. That drive ended when Jonnu Smith dropped a good throw. Ridder nearly threw a pick on the next drive after staring down Kyle Pitts, but the defender dropped it. Overall, this was a strong showing and one that should give Falcons fans hope.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 14 carries, 46 yards, fumble (lost) | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 12 yards, TD
Bijan Robinson is exciting on the field, and watching him feels like every play is one or two cuts away from pay dirt. On the Falcons’ second drive, Bijan followed his blocking and smoothly changed direction–getting grabbed by his leg on what otherwise could have been a huge gain. Bijan had another long gain to start the second half, again showing smooth movement to change direction and avoid defenders. I think what impresses me is that Bijan cuts so effortlessly as if it’s nothing at all. As for the passing game, this is one of the more impressive 2-catch, 12-yard performances you will see. Bijan caught both balls with one hand, the first being a sudden shovel pass from Desmond Ridder that found the end zone. I would love to see more receiving work on quick strikes out of the backfield. Either way, the talent we were promised here is real. Just beware of the fumble today: we’ve seen guys end up in the doghouse before for this type of thing.
Tyler Allgeier: 17 carries, 40 yards | 1 target
Tyler Allgeier is a good running back, though mostly known now as the guy preventing Bijan from getting more carries. Allgeier does well going for the hard yards and the team clearly still trusts him to hold down a major role here–truly a 50-50 split from what I saw today. Atlanta is happy to bring their young players along slowly and highlights aren’t changing their minds.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Kyle Pitts: 11 targets, 7 receptions, 87 yards
Kyle Pitts played well, though I’m sure Pitts fans were saying ‘not again’ early on. The team’s second drive started with a bootleg throw to Jonnu Smith. Later in the drive, they hit Smith again on a trick play with Drake London throwing. It all worked out though as Pitts and Ridder found rhythm. Ridder hit Pitts in a tight window for his first catch–probably his best catch of the day. I saw four more Pitts targets in the first half, one of which was an overthrow that Pitts plucked from the sky. Pitts caught a pass on each of the Falcons’ last four drives and proved reliable for his young QB. I won’t promise a dominant target share, but this was a good outing. I just wonder if this offense has enough juice to go around.
Drake London: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 78 yards | 1/1, 22 yards
I only saw three plays involving Drake London in the first half: on the team’s first drive, he was open but overthrown by Desmond Ridder. On the second drive, Drake took a reverse and threw to Kyle Pitts for 22 yards. London saw one more first-half target: another off-target miss from Ridder. London came alive late when the team needed him most. He caught a pair of passes on the third drive of the second half including one where he fought hard for the first down. That drive ended in the end zone. London was involved in every series after that, helping his team secure the win. London impresses me, but I worry–as I said with Pitts–that there isn’t enough juice to create fantasy superstars here.
Jonnu Smith: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 67 yards
Jonnu Smith is the bane of Kyle Pitts’ fantasy managers. Smith is a fixture of this offense and trusted–for good reason–to make plays. Jonnu was the engine of the team’s second drive and did his damage in the first half. It felt like Atlanta took what was open and then adjusted against the defense: they hit Jonnu early and moved to Pitts and London late. As long as Jonnu Smith and Kyle Pitts are here, it becomes harder to trust either player.
Mack Hollins: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards
Keith Smith: 1 target, 1 reception, 28 yards
MyCole Pruitt: 1 target, 1 reception, 22 yards
KhaDarel Hodge: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards
Scott Miller: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Cordarrelle Patterson: 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards