Atlanta Falcons vs Houston Texans Match Player Stats On Dec 04, 2011

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 4, 2011

Arian Foster rushed for 111 yards and the winning touchdown and rookie quarterback T.J. Yates won in his first NFL start as the Houston Texans continued to win despite a revolving door under center, beating the visiting Atlanta Falcons 17-10 on Sunday at Reliant Stadium.

The Falcons (7-5) drove inside the Texans' 30 in the final minute, but two shots into the end zone fell incomplete on the final two plays.

The Texans (9-3) continue to stay in control of the AFC South race despite losing starting quarterback Matt Schaub to a season-ending foot injury two weeks ago and putting his replacement, Matt Leinart, on injured reserve with a broken collarbone last week.

Yates, a former North Carolina player, became the first Tar Heel to start at quarterback in NFL history, and he made his first start a memorable one. He completed only 12 of 25 passes for 188 yards but tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Joel Dreessen in the second quarter and did not throw an interception.

The Falcons (7-5) lost for only the second time in seven games, dealing a blow to their hopes of catching NFC South leader New Orleans and damaging their chances of earning a wild card.

Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez had seven catches for 100 yards, giving him an NFL-record 13 consecutive seasons with 60 or more catches.

Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson, playing in only his second game since missing seven games with a hamstring injury, had four catches for 97 yards but left in the second half with an apparent hamstring injury.

The loss snapped a streak of five consecutive wins against AFC teams for Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who threw a pair of first-half interceptions.