Consistency is key in order to be a championship team. That is especially true in the NFL where the best teams play great football in December and their play carries over into the playoffs.
The Falcons, who are fighting for a playoff spot, have been inconsistent for the majority of the season, but have been on a roll as of late, winning five of their last six games.
They looked to keep the good times rolling against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium, but thanks to costly penalties and inconsistencies on offense, the Falcons fall to the Texans 17-10.
The Falcons had a chance to tie the game with less than a minute left in the contest.
The Falcons were at their own 33-yard line and Matt Ryan threw two big passes to Harry Douglass and Julio Jones which put the Falcons at the Texans 30-yard line. But with one second left, Ryan threw a deep pass to Jones in the end zone and it was dropped.
That last play of the game was the story of the game because the Falcons had their share of opportunities to win the game. Early in the first quarter the Falcons forced Texans rookie quarterback T.J. Yates to fumble, which was recovered by James Sanders and returned 90 yards for a touchdown.
But the play was called back because the Falcons committed a penalty after the fumble recovery but before the touchdown.
That led to Matt Ryan throwing an interception to Jason Allen and the Texans capitalized with a Neil Rackers 43-yard field goal to put the Texans on the board first.
There was also another missed opportunity for the Falcons to steal the game from the Texans in the fourth quarter. The Falcons just scored off a Matt Ryan 4-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White to tie the game at 10. When the Texans got the ball, Yates threw an interception to Mike Peterson which was returned for a touchdown and it looked like the Falcons were going to take the lead for the first time.
But a holding penalty by Dunta Robinson negated the interception and touchdown. That led the Texans to produce a 19-play, 85-yard drive which ended with a Arian Foster 1-yard touchdown run to give the Texans their ninth win of the year.
There were a lot of things that did not go right for the Falcons. Matt Ryan, who was coming off his best game of the season last week against Minnesota, could not get into a rhythm against the No. 1 defense in the league. He ended his day 20-of-46 with 262 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Falcons defense has played well all year against the run, but had issues with Foster, especially at the end of the game. Foster rushed for 111 yards on 31 carries and that makes him the first player this season to rush for over 100 yards against the Falcons.
But it was the beginning of the game that told the story of how this game was going to go. On the first play for the Falcons Ryan threw a deep pass to a wide open White, but it was overthrown. On the third play, Ryan threw another deep ball to Jones, who was also wide open, but it was also overthrown.
On the Falcons next series, they try a flea-flicker, but Turner bobbled the throw which caused Ryan to throw an interception to Kareem Jackson.
So here’s where the Falcons stand, they are now 7-5 and are still in good position to make the playoffs. But they have to play more consistent if they want to win their next four games.
Carolina is up next for the Falcons and if they play their brand of football, the Falcons should come away with a win, but if they leave plays on the field like they did against Houston, the playoffs will not be in the Falcons future.
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