Texans vs. Falcons: Expert picks, who will win this weekend?
By Randy Gurzi
The Houston Texans are fresh off their first win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and they stay within the NFC South for their next opponent. The Texans head to Atlanta to face the undefeated Falcons on Sunday.
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The Texans will have to fire on all cylinders to keep up with the high flying Falcons, who have seen wide receiver Julio Jones take his game to another level this season.
So who do the experts think will win this contest? Well, let’s take a quick look around to find out;
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports – Atlanta 27, Houston 14
"The 3-0 Falcons are back home after two tough road victories. The Matt Ryan-Julio Jones combination is coming up big, and it should here, too. The key will be how they block J.J. Watt. But if it’s a choice between Ryan and Ryan Mallett, that’s an easy one. It’s the Falcons’ Ryan."
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk – Falcons 28, Texans 17
"Julio Jones will run wild in a suspect Houston secondary, and the Falcons will improve to a surprising 4-0 on the season."
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk – Falcons 27, Texans 17
"We’re getting closer to Correction Weekend, and it wouldn’t be a shock if the Texans beat a Falcons team that perhaps suddenly thinks too much of itself. But then I remembered that: (1) the Falcons have Julio Jones; and (2) no one can stop him."
Elliot Harrison, NFL.com – Falcons 30, Texans 22
"Can the Texans slow down Julio Jones? Heck, can they slow down Devonta Freeman? Freeman ran like a man possessed by the football gods in Dallas last week, putting up 141 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. If Freeman also lifts the air game as he managed to at JerryWorld (five catches for 52 yards), the Texans will be in trouble. The real issue here is that if Houston gets down 14-nothing, the Texans are not built to play catch-up. The team’s passer rating is 70.5 on the season (30th), and Bill O’Brien‘s group is 30th in the NFL in yards per play (4.6) as well. Weeble-wobbling down the field at a Samkon Gado pace will not help if Matty Ice starts out hot. See what I did there? You’re welcome. #HOUvsATL"
So according to the experts, things aren’t looking so great for Houston this week. In fact, ESPN had none of their panelists pick against Atlanta and only Mike Garafolo picked Houston on FOX Sports.
Here’s to playing the underdog!