Atlanta Falcons: Studs and duds vs. Texans in Week 5

Stud: Austin Hooper

Austin Hooper has continued to be a nice reliable target for Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and within this Falcons offensive unit, now stringing together a few straight weeks of stellar play to help pace the way for the Atlanta receiving corps.

In the game on Sunday in downtown Houston, Hooper hauled in a total of 56 yards on six receptions and eight total targets, grabbing a game-long reception of 18 yards. Hooper wasn’t able to ultimately get into the end zone in the game, but he has managed to now put a few solid weeks together for the Falcons which is a positive moving forward.

Dud: Total defensive effort

The final dud performance for the Falcons in Week 5 while losing their third straight game to fall to 1-4 on the year was their complete defensive effort in the game. As mentioned already, Atlanta’s defense allowed the Houston passing game to operate with ease in the 53-32 outcome, finishing with 426 yards and five touchdowns through the air.

But the Falcons’ run defense put forth a similar effort to that of their passing defense, managing to let the Texans run for 166 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Overall, whenever you allow an opponent to go off for a total of 592 yards and six touchdowns while scoring a total of 53 points, you aren’t going to win too many games. That ultimately was the case for Atlanta on Sunday afternoon in Houston.