Atlanta Falcons @ Houston Texans. 12/4. 12 CT. FOX. **Official GameDay Thread**

[ThaShark316]

After losing its top two QBs to season-ending injuries, Houston turns to T.J. Yates in hopes of extending the longest single-season winning streak in team history Sunday against the visiting Atlanta Falcons.

Two weeks after starter Matt Schaub suffered a severe foot injury, No. 2 quarterback Matt Leinart fractured his left collarbone shortly before halftime during a 20-13 victory at Jacksonville last Sunday.

That thrust Yates, a fifth-round pick out of North Carolina, into action and he went 8 of 15 for 70 yards in his NFL debut. While Yates led a drive that resulted in a field goal and gave the Texans a 10-point lead at the break, Houston compiled just 47 yards and two first downs in the second half.

Still, the Texans held on for their fifth straight victory.

Houston (8-3), two games ahead of Tennessee in the division, has persevered despite injuries to All-Pro wideout Andre Johnson and star running back Arian Foster. Johnson returned from a six-game absence to catch two passes for 22 yards versus the Jaguars.

While Houston’s offense has been in a state of uncertainty, the defense has continued to thrive. The Texans rank second in the NFL with 16.3 points allowed per game and are surrendering a league-low average of 268.4 yards.

They’ll surely be in for a test against a Falcons team that has won five of six, its only loss in that stretch coming by a 26-23 score in overtime against NFC South-leading New Orleans on Nov. 13.

Atlanta (7-4) is one game behind the Saints and in a three-way tie with Chicago and Detroit for the two wild-card spots.

While the Falcons have been surging, they’ve hardly dominated opponents. One week after building a 20-point lead and escaping with a 23-17 win over Tennessee, Atlanta held on for a 24-14 victory over Minnesota on Sunday.

The Falcons took a 17-0 lead into halftime last week but needed to hold off a Vikings rally, making a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview;...id=20111204034

What I want to see:

I'll say it again! Come. Out. Throwing.

I know, I know...I say that all the time. However, T.J. Yates has to feel comfortable today. East throws like screens and such. Texans are going to run the bootlegs and get the defense moving around. One thing the Texans need to do is loosen up the coverage a bit with some deep attempts. Keeping the Falcons honest, rookie QB or not, is key.

#2 run D or not, pound the rock.

Atlanta's run D is good, but regardless of that 83 yds/gm number, run the football. Need the offensive line to ball out of control today. No reason why we can't run the football when we want to run it. After last week's poor showing, the OL will be out to prove something with a lot of people not giving the Texans a shot.

Do not get beat deep.

Manning, Nolan, Quin, whoever....Stay alert. Julio Jones, Roddy White and Harry Douglas can all be deep threats, so safety play will be a key factor when it comes to the deep ball (obviously). Not really worried about J-Jo, but more so with Kareem and Allen. The pass rush will also be a factor in how many times Matt Ryan can throw the deep ball.

Prove 'em wrong.

One thing special about this squad is they don't care about what other people say. They just come out, kick ass, and go 1-0. So y'all know the rules. One team. One goal. 1-0. No one thinks they can do it this week, so go out, slap ATL around, and go 1-0.

One last thing....

LETS GET TO 9-3!!!!!

[kiwitexansfan]

When all the experts are picking against us I smell upset!!

[TheDream34]

I'm kind of suprised everyone is picking Atlanta to win. Should they be favored to win, sure, but honestly, the falcons are a very underwhelming 7-4. We actually do have a legit chance for the upset.

[Rey]

Come out throwing. Short and long and pound the rock. Why not just say "be balanced"?

[SAMURAITEXAN]

Goooooooooooooooo Texansssssssssssssssss!!!!!

Show them what you got TJ.


Go Texans!!!

[srrono]

it would be very nice to see all these experts wrong

[ThaJokaa]

Cant sleep

[IDEXAN]

FYI - maybe for the first time ever, todays game in Reliant isn't the game of the day for the Houston Texans - it's the game in Buffalo as the Titans visit the Bills.
Realistically speaking, the Texans almost surely will lose today and if the Titans win in Buffalo the Texans division lead would be cut to a very narrow one-game margin with 4 games to play and the Titans would have a legit chance to grab the division title and be the lone AFC South playoff entry. So besides our game,
keep a close watch on the Titans-Bills contest.

[Thorn]

Today, Matt Ryan finds out what's Watt.

[gwallaia]

Come on Texans, I can't handle both of my teams losing this weekend.

[drunkcookie]

About to head out for Houston, see if we can squeeze some 'gaiting in with all the rain I just saw on the radar... Oh well...

Go Texans! You've lost one game you weren't supposed to lose, now go win one you're not supposed to win!

[Kthx]

This is probably one of the games I have been the most excited during the week to watch. I don't know but the excitement of having a new quarterback in who is a rookie on the first playoff running season.

[TexansBull]

I am so excited to see what Yates brings to the table. I don't know why, but I think this kid is going suprise a lot of people for the better.

[EVOLVIST]

Originally Posted by ThaJokaa

Cant sleep

No ****, right? I went to bed at 3am and now it's 8:30am and I'm wide awake.

I mean, the only thing that'll make me fall asleep is to think about sex. But with my wife, I'd rather stay awake!

Dadum chish!

My wife said I'd love her more if she were shaped like a football. I said, don't be ridiculous, I'd love you more if you were shaped like a woman!

Geez, I need to go back to bed.

[TejasTom]

Originally Posted by EVOLVIST

My wife said I'd love her more if she were shaped like a football. I said, don't be ridiculous, I'd love you more if you were shaped like a woman!.

wife: Honey, if you lose 20 lbs. I'll dance for you.
husband: if you lose 20 lbs. I'll watch.



Yates, go shred the 26th ranked pass D. Make 'em pay on blitzes.
D, do what you've been doing, wreak havoc.
Get a W! Go Texans!

[False Start]

Lets kick some ass!

[CloakNNNdagger]

Kubiak..........don't abandon the run, BUT let TJ loose for the mid and long pass. For once, see the fact that teams don't really have any worthwhile film on your QB.......and use it to advantage. That singular advantage disappears quickly in subsequent games...........for once, be UNPREDICTABLE!

[TejasTom]

This would be a good game for Foster to bust off another 75+ yrd TD pass.

[ThaJokaa]

Originally Posted by EVOLVIST

No ****, right? I went to bed at 3am and now it's 8:30am and I'm wide awake.

I mean, the only thing that'll make me fall asleep is to think about sex. But with my wife, I'd rather stay awake!

Dadum chish!

My wife said I'd love her more if she were shaped like a football. I said, don't be ridiculous, I'd love you more if you were shaped like a woman!

Geez, I need to go back to bed.

Fell asleep at 2, woke up at 6; been awake ever since. So I went for a 2 mile run.

[burro]

Psh, "experts"...Let's go out there and open up The Yates of Hell on the Falcons!