Texans squander massive moment, lose to Falcons as time expires

Arnold Ebiketie #17 of the Atlanta Falcons and C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans meet after the Falcons beat the Texans 21-19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.With the Houston Texans trailing the Atlanta Falcons 18-12 and just under seven minutes left, on a day when all of their scoring production had come courtesy of Ka'imi Fairbairn field goals, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud had the chance to produce a signature moment to pair with the historic start to his NFL career.

Stroud did exactly that. Second-year running back Dameon Pierce powered the Texans, who went 75 yards on 11 plays, before Stroud delivered an 18-yard strike up the seam to Dalton Schultz…