ATLANTA — The Falcons are justified for having championship aspirations. They steamrolled over the Houston Texans to begin the season 4-0 for the fourth time in their history. Two out of the other three times they performed this feat, the Falcons reached the NFC Championship game.
The Atlanta Falcons unleashed a variety of weapons, and the defense forced several turnovers, as the Falcons quickly turned the contest against the Houston Texans into a route to the tune of 48-21 victory in front of 69,904 witnesses Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
“Once we put a full four quarters together, we are a problem for everybody as you can see,” Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant said. “We have talent. We have talent across the board. We are really coming together as a team.”
The Falcons, off to a torrid start after back-to-back losing seasons, have stormed to a 4-0 start for just for the fourth time in franchise history.
The Texans, who went 9-7 last season but had playoff aspirations this year, have now dropped to 1-3.
The Falcons are tied with the Carolina Panthers for first place in the NFC South Division.
He had touchdown runs of 16, 23 and 6 yards. Also, running back Terron Ward added an 8-yard touchdown run.
Falcons running back Devonta Freeman had a great all-around game, rushing 14 times for 68 yards and boasting five catches for 81 yards.
The defense aslo had a banner afternoon, creating two turnovers that led to 14 points and helped the Falcons build a 21-0 lead.
The level of the blowout was even more impressive when you take into consideration that both Falcons star receivers were held in check. Superstar Julio Jones was doubled-teamed most of the day and he finished with a paltry four passes for 38 yards. Roddy White, who didn’t catch a pass over the past two games, finished with two catches for 8 yards.
Quarterback Matt “Matty Ice” Ryan completed 19 of 27 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown through three quarters.
Because of the extra attention paid to Jones, Ryan had to distribute the ball to other places. Leonard Hankerson caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
The Falcons also started 4-0 in 1986, 2004 and 2012. The 1986 team went on to post a 7-8-1 record. The 2004 and 2012 teams went on reach the NFC Championship game.