Falcons down the ensuing kickoff in the endzone, touchback.

Falcon's ball at their 20.

Renfree in at QB.

Ward loses 3.

Ward gains 2. 3rd and 11 coming up.

Ward gets 2. Falcons have to punt with 12:09 left in the game.

Shorts fields the punt and runs west for no gain. Ball at Texan 25.

This is terrible. I don't even know where to begin. I can't wait for John Harris to put a "good spin" on this one.

Texan's ball at their 25.

Hoyer's pass goes out of bounds, inc.

Hoyer's pass off the hands of Polk, inc. 3rd and 10 coming up.

Pass to Shorts gets 13 and the 1st down.

Deep pass to Shorts sails, inc.

Deep pass to Hop goes out of bounds, inc. 3rd and 10 coming up.

My gosh, screen works for the 1st down.

Blue for 6. About 10:30 left in the game.

Deep pass to Shorts goes for 42 - ball at the Falcon 1 yard line.

Blue stopped short of the goal....very close but no cigar. 2nd and goal coming up.

Polk punches it in for the TD.

Falcons 42, Texans 14

9:09 left in the game.

Falcons fair catch the ensuing poochy kickoff.

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Falcon's ball at their 24.

Ward loses 1.

Ward gains 1. 3rd and 10 coming up.

Ward gets 12 on the delay.

Ward for 3.

Ward for 3 more. Makes it 3rd and 4 coming up.

Ward for no gain. Falcons will have to punt with about 5 minutes left in the game.

Shorts fields the punt and runs out of bounds about the Texan 26.

Holding on the Falcons adds 10 yards to the previous punt.

Texan's ball at their 36.

Pass to Hop gets 18. Ball at the Falcon 46.

Pass to Hop goes to the Falcon 20.

Pass to Hop in the end zone is inc....

Hoyer's pass goes inc in the end zone.... 3rd and 10 coming up.

Pass to Hop gets 12 at the 8 yard line. 1st and goal.

Pass to Shorts good for the TD.

Falcons 42, Texans 21

3:01 left in the game.

The ensuing kickoff goes out of the end zone, touchback.

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Falcon's ball at their 20.

Flags presnap, false start Falcons, -5. 1st and 15 coming up.

Ward goes left for 5.

Renfree boots for a loss of 4. (Texans out of timeouts)

Ward for a couple. Falcons will have to punt.

2 minute warning.

Shorts returns the punt to about the Texan 48.

Texan's ball at their 49.

Deep pass to Hop is broken up, inc.

Pass to Graham gets 6. 3rd and 4 coming up.

Pass to Hop goes to the Falcon 20 yard line.

Pass into the end zone is inc. 2nd and 10 coming up with 43 seconds left in the game.

Pass over the middle goes inc. 3rd and 10 coming up.

Pass to Hop goes for 11. 1st and goal at the 9.

Pass into the endzone broken up, inc.

Hoyer gets sacked. Loss of 8. 3rd and goal coming up.

Pass to Hop is a TD but will likely get overturned because Hop went out of bounds and came back in....

Ruling is an incomplete pass. 4th and goal with 1 second left in the game.

Shorts takes the pass and fumbles - Falcons pick up the ball and score a TD.

Extra point is kneeled (no good).

Final score:

Falcons 48, Texans 21

I didn't think we'd have another game as bad as the Chiefs game this year, but this was worse, far worse. Team wasn't ready, had no focus, coachs obviously wern't ready and didn't adequately prepare the team. What a stinker.
Hey all is not lost, we had an X-man sighting out there in the 4th quarter. Have no idea what to expect Thursday night ? I guess Hoyer will be starting ?

We won't beat the Colts with Hasselback.

This team is an embarrassment. O'Brien is an embarrassment for thinking he could enter a season with these QBs.

Kyle Shanahan took our lunch money all day. It makes me think the problem has never been our dumb coaches, especially since everyone has success when they get away from our broken franchise (Capers, Fangio, Shanahan, Kubiak).

So Barrett, your conclusion is that the whole franchise is simply snakebit and its hopeless to think they could ever be a success ?

Ben Tate, Earl Mitchell, Darryl Sharpton, Garrett Graham, Brooks Reed, Brandon Harris, Rashad Carmichael, DeVier Posey , Brandon Brooks, Ben Jones, Keshawn Martin, Jared Crick, D.J. Swearinger, Brennan Williams, Sam Montgomery, Trevardo Williams, Xavier Su'a-Filo, C. J. Fiedorowicz, Louis Nix III, Tom Savage, Benardrick McKinney, Jaelen Strong.

That, friends, is a list of the Texans' second through fourth round draft picks since 2010. If you are looking for a place to start in trying to understand why the Texans are as bad as they are this is as good a place as any.

Today reminded me of some of the Capers era games where it seemed like the other team was playing a totally different sport.

I don't think snake bit has anything to do with it. Snake bit implies bad luck. Like Chuck's list shows, this is about incompetence not bad luck. I think it starts from the top down. McNair is awful. The comments on Foster this year were maybe the worst owner comments I've ever seen. His Brady/Watt cell phone comments were almost as stupid. He is a rube who likes being in the owner's club. I don't think he really cares too much what happens on the field as long as he isn't embarrassed (today was a bad day for him). He has been beyond worthless at hiring people and at (not) firing people. McNair's two GM hires are Smith and Casserly.

Rick Smith is the common denominator in Chuck's list and has been almost as bad in free agency and extensions. He's put a pair of 1st round picks and tons of FA money in our secondary and they are gasoline on a fire. We have drafted half a dozen edge rushers in the first 2 rounds and let the only good ones walk (Barwin and Mario) while whiffing on the rest (Reed, Mercilous, Clowney).

And Bill O'Brien actually had the thought, "Yeah, it's a good idea to enter the year with Mallett and Hoyer", and Smith and McNair signed off on it.

I just reviewed all the drafts the Texans have had since inception. It's time for a new GM. No other way to say it.

Snakbit does imply unlucky but also doomed for failure. Almost like a bookyman factor at work. But how are we that much different than say Indy, except they had the incredibly good fortune not once but twice to have both Pyeton Manning and Andy Luck in the Drafts the 2 years they held the first overall. pick. And I don't think McNare is a rube, because he's a self-made billionaire. Maybe he's not polhished but he's educated and successful in the business world. If you've read the mans biography, you know he cut a deal with the slickers and their lawyers at Enron to make his first bill when he sold them his cogfneration energy business. Now he may know little about football, I don't argue that but that it makes him an equal to most of the NFL owners.
Now you may have maybe put your finger on something when you mentioned his decision to retain Smith this long.
So where are we now moving forward ? Do you think he should rid himself of both Smith and O'Brien or just replace his GM ?

The next move will be to jettison Smith and give more power to OB. Don't agree that it's the right move, but I can see that happening.

I think they should shitcan Smith and bring in a real GM to manage the draft, free agency, the cap, etc. If they give BOB Belichick type power (terrible idea and completely undeserved) they should also give him an incredibly short leash.

But none of this matters because Smith is going nowhere. When he canned Kubiak he told everyone that he thought Smith had been doing an OUTSTANDING job. You can't argue with that sort of delusion.

Rube was the wrong word. Bad word choice on my part. McNair is definitely 1000Xs the business mind I'll ever be.

Outdated might be a better word choice. To come out and bash Arian Foster after an injury was the worst owner move I can think of. It shows how out of touch he is. And while I don't think he is racist, I think Foster being outspoken AND young AND a vegan AND black played into how he was treated by McNair. The generational divide is just so big between McNair and the players. It is just as big for many owners, but they keep their mouths shut in public.

Saying you're not surprised is a truly bizarre thing to do after your star offensive player gets hurt. A statement like that can have no possible positive effect. Who wants to play for an owner like that.

Then the unsolicited and public attack on Brady. Even loudmouthed Irsay only took shots from the shadows. Why would you ever put a target on your franchise like that? The Patriots will probably put half a hundred on us and we'll be lucky if they don't look for excuses to cut block Watt all game. The last thing JJ needs is someone putting more attention on him.

And as for your question about what separates him from the Colts, I agree it is little more than luck/Luck. But it doesn't make me feel better to think our franchise is run by an unlucky Jim Irsay.

Well said. And I really agree with you about McNairs comments on Brady. That was really stupid and uncalled for.
Anyway we are just one game out of first place in our division. Honestly I don't have any idea what's gonna happen Thursday night when the Colts are in town. Hey hope springs eternal as they say. I'm actually looking forward to the game because I don't know who will show up ? I guess OBrien will start Hoyer, but then he may pull him before the game is half over ? I really want to like O'Brien and I do like him, but he's looking shaky with some of these snap decisions.

I also think very highly of O'Brien. That is being tested right now. We've been unprepared twice this year in ways that make me doubt a little his gameday coaching chops after a year that made me a huge believer. And his total lack of a QB plan makes me think he's no better than Smith as a personnel guy. Smith has actually been worse partnering with O'Brien in the draft than he was with Kubiak.

So I still think O'Brien is a good/possibly great NFL coach. He still hasn't made a move that kills his future because he has avoided making any moves at QB. But I feel like he should have bottomed us out last year rather than this year. People would have accepted getting rid of the vets, clearing the cap, and winning 4 games last year. I think doing it this year is going backwards.