C.J. Stroud led the Texans to a fourth quarter comeback, but Desmond Ridder one-upped him.
In a battle of young quarterbacks, Stroud left too much time for Ridder, who directed a game-winning 56-yard drive. Younghoe Koo’s 37-yard field goal on the final play gave the Falcons a 21-19 win.
Stroud gave the Texans a 19-18 lead with 1:49 left on an 18-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz. It was too much time for Ridder, who passed for a career-high 329 yards.
The Texans fell to 2-3, and the Falcons now are 3-2.
Ridder completed 28 of 37 passes with a touchdown for a 111.2 passer rating, completing passes to 10 different players. Kyle Pitts caught seven passes for 87 yards, and Drake London had six catches for 78 yards.
Bijan Robinson rushed for 46 yards on 14 carries and caught two passes for 12 yards and a touchdown.
Stroud continued his interception-less streak to start his career and completed 20 of 35 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown. Schultz had seven catches for 65 yards and the score.
The Texans, though, had to settle for four field goals as Ka’imi Fairbairn was good from 38, 43, 28 and 42 yards. They scored one touchdown in three red zone possessions.
