(SportsRadio 610) - In their back-to-back victories over Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, the Texans proved they could win blowouts for first-year coach DeMeco Ryans.
In Sunday's loss at Atlanta, they proved they couldn't protect a lead and win a close game. At least not yet.
One of the most disappointing things about blowing a lead and losing 21-19 on a field goal with no time remaining is Ryans, his coaches and his players know that despite playing so poorly in so many areas, they still could have won but didn't for a number of reasons.
As far as what went wrong, let's start with the Texans' inability to score touchdowns. They were in Atlanta territory seven times and scored one touchdown, and that came on their last possession when C.J. Stroud threw an 18-yard touchdown pass for a 19-18 lead with 1:49 left.
That situation illustrated the defensive futility at getting off the field, a problem that existed in the fourth quarter. Needing a stop to secure a victory and their first three-game winning streak since 2018, the Texans allowed second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder to pick them apart in embarrassing fashion to set up Younghoe Koo's game-winning, 37-yard field goal.
"They made a couple plays there at the end of the game," Ryans said. "We didn't, so credit to those guys for stepping up and making a play when they had to."
The Texans were at their worst on third down and in the red zone. They were 30.8 percent on third down (4 of 13) and 33 percent in the red zone (1 of 3). Their red zone ineptitude wasn't surprising because they ranked 31st going into the game.
"Third down wasn't good enough (and) the red zone wasn't good enough," Ryans said. "We needed to get points there (red zone), and we didn't. They have a good defense and did a good job of forcing us to kick field goals. I need to find a way for us to operate better on third down and find a way to get in the end zone."
Ridder, the quarterback Falcons' fans criticize, outplayed Stroud, the quarterback Texans' fans praise. It wasn't Stroud's fault, though.
Ridder threw for 329 yards and compiled a 111.2 rating. In the second half, the Texans' defense made him look like Matt Ryan in his MVP season.
The Texans played exceptional run defense, limiting Atlanta to 96 yards and 2.7 a carry. Rookie Bijan Robinson generated only 46 yards on 14 carries but scored a touchdown on a 6-yard reception.
The Falcons had a touchdown and two field goals on three fourth quarter possessions in which they generated 184 of their 447 yards. The Texans, who forced two fumbles in the second half but capitalized with only one of Ka'imi Fairbairn's four field goals, avoided the end zone like quicksand except for their one touchdown drive.
The worst part of the Texans' performance was another inept effort by the running game. They ran 23 times for 64 yards. That's 2.8 a carry. Take away a 15-yard run by Dameon Pierce and that translates 22 carries for 49 yards, a 2.2 average. Pierce accumulated 66 yards on 20 carries, a 3.3 average.
"We have to get it going," Ryans said. "Keep running it. We have to block it better, and we have to run it better."
The Falcons loaded the box to stop the run, and they played a lot of two-deep coverage to keep Stroud from getting the ball down the field, especially to Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Before he left with a concussion, Dell had three catches for 57 yards. Collins was limited to three for 39. Schultz was their leading receiver with seven receptions and 65 yards.
Stroud completed 20-of-35 (57.1 percent) for 249 yards and one touchdown. He wasn't intercepted for the fifth consecutive game, and his rating was 88.9. He wasn't sacked for a third game in a row – the first time that's happened in team history. He was hit twice.
"We have to make plays," Ryans said. "That's what it comes down to. When you're in position, can you make plays? Tackling, allowing leaky yardage when the pass does come out. A lot of leaky yardage out there.
"We've got to play with better eye discipline, but when you're in a spot and you have to make a play, there were a lot of contested catches they came down with, and we didn't. We've got to find a way for playmakers to step up and make plays in those situations."
Sunday's game began like the last two. The Texans outscored the Jaguars and Steelers 33-0 in the first half on their way to lopsided victories. They led the Falcons 9-7 at halftime. That's a 42-7 advantage in the first half of their last three games.
Atlanta coach Arthur Smith had Ridder connecting with his tight ends 14 times for 176 yards, including seven for 87 by Kyle Pitts. Wide receiver Drake London caught six passes for 78 yards.
"As you would expect, the guys are disappointed," Ryans said. "We felt this was a game we could've had. We had a lot of opportunities to make plays (but) didn't do that. It's about how you're going to come back. It's about how you're going to prepare after you lose. Are you preparing the same way every week?
"You can't change. You can't get comfortable and relax once you win a couple games. Every week is tough, so it's a matter of the details and the preparation. We'll see how our guys respond this week."
The Falcons were the first of four consecutive games against NFC South teams. New Orleans is next at NRG Stadium.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.
