Houston
Texans
2-5
18
FINAL
21
Atlanta
Falcons
2-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 18 showdown, the Atlanta Falcons narrowly defeated the Houston Texans 21-18, securing their playoff berth in a hard-fought battle. With both teams eager to finish strong, this game was a crucial test of resilience as the regular season came to a close.
Max Duggan led the Falcons' offense with precision, throwing for two touchdowns and keeping the chains moving against a tough Texans defense. Atlanta's Bijan Robinson added a solid ground game, rushing for 79 yards, while Drake London emerged as a standout receiver, racking up 129 yards through the air. Houston's C.J. Stroud put up impressive numbers with 289 passing yards, but it wasn't enough to clinch the victory.
Defensively, the Falcons made key plays that ultimately turned the tide in their favor. Jalon Walker was a force, registering two sacks that disrupted Stroud’s rhythm, while Christian Harris anchored the defense with 11 total tackles. Avieon Terrell sealed the game with a crucial interception late in the fourth quarter, ensuring Atlanta's narrow win and a spot in the playoffs.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 37 | 24 | 65% | 289 | 1 | 1 | 86.4 |
| Max Duggan | QB | 26 | 13 | 50% | 194 | 2 | 1 | 84.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 21 | 79 | 3.8 | 20 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Woody Marks | HB | 10 | 50 | 5.0 | 14 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 7 | 27 | 3.9 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Brian Robinson Jr | HB | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Max Duggan | QB | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Montgomery | HB | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake London | WR | 6 | 129 | 21.5 | 74 | 2 | 60 | 0 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 7 | 117 | 16.7 | 28 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 6 | 86 | 14.3 | 10 | 1 | 28 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 4 | 53 | 13.3 | 21 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Marlin Klein | TE | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Woody Marks | HB | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Terrance Carter Jr | TE | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Harris | MIKE | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Azeez Al-Shaair | MIKE | 10 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | REDG | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalen Pitre | SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr | LEDG | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamari Lassiter | CB | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylin Smith | CB | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Bowman Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kayden McDonald | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | SAM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Hunter | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry To'oTo'o | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Holcomb | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arion Carter | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osa Odighizuwa | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Perkins Jr. | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grover Stewart | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Bailey | P | 2 | 2 | 1 | 51 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | K | 1 | 2 | 1 | 53 |

