TE Tony Gonzalez improved two of his NFL records, recording his 28th 100-yard receiving game and his 13th straight season with 60 catches in the loss.
- TE Tony Gonzalez improved his NFL record for consecutive 60-catch seasons when he hauled in a four-yard pass from QB Matt Ryan in the first quarter. The record was previously held by WR Jerry Rice, who caught 60-or-more passes in 11 straight seasons. Gonzalez has posted at least 63 catches in every season since 1999.
- Gonzalez finished the game with a game-high seven catches for 100 yards, improving his NFL record to 28 career games with 100-or-more receiving yards. He has now caught at least one pass in 175 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. Additionally, he has caught a pass in 229 of his 234 career games.
- S James Sanders made a heads up play in the first quarter scooping up a fumble after DT Vance Walker strip-sacked QB T.J. Yates. Sanders picked up the ball and raced 90 yards for a touchdown but had the score nullified by a penalty. Despite losing the score, Atlanta retained possession, which prevented the Texans from putting points on the board.
- Sanders turned in his best performance as a Falcon, totaling 10 tackles (10 solo). In his first season in Atlanta, the veteran defensive back has posted 42 tackles (33 solo), one fumble recovery, and two passes defensed.
- After falling behind 10-0 in the first half, the Falcons offense drove 79 yards on 10 plays to set up a 19-yard field goal by K Matt Bryant. RB Michael Turner carried the ball four times for 27 yards on the drive. Late in the drive, Ryan hit Gonzalez for a 26-yard gain to put the Falcons in scoring territory.
- LB Curtis Lofton continued his Pro Bowl caliber season, notching a game-high 11 tackles (11 solo). Lofton also recorded his first sack of the season when he dragged down Yates for an eight-yard loss at the end of the first half. Lofton has posted a team-high 128 tackles (81 solo), one sack, and one interception this season.
- The Falcons had four players record double digit tackles in Sunday's game. Lofton led the way with 11, while Sanders, LB Mike Peterson (seven solo, three assists), and S Thomas DeCoud (seven solo, three assists) each recorded 10 total tackles.
- Trailing 10-3 in the third quarter, Ryan drove the Falcons offense 56 yards on seven plays tying the game at 10-10 with a four-yard pass to WR Roddy White. Ryan hit Gonzalez for an 18-yard pickup and two plays later, he found rookie WR Julio Jones for a 26-yard gain down to the Texans four-yard line. On the next play, Ryan hit a wide open White for the game-tying score.
- White now has five receiving touchdowns on the season and he finished the game with four catches for 51 yards. This season, White has 881 yards on 68 catches and once again ranks among the top pass catches in the NFL in terms of receptions.
- White currently ranks third in franchise history with 41 receiving touchdowns. He trails Terance Mathis (57) and Andre Rison (56). Additionally, his 33 touchdown receptions since 2008 rank in the NFL's top five during that time period. Only Detroit's Calvin Johnson and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald have caught more touchdowns over the last four years than White.
- The touchdown was Ryan's 19th of the season and the 85th touchdown pass of his career. In his fourth season with the team, Ryan is three touchdown passes shy of moving into second place in the franchise's record books. He trails Chris Chandler and Chris Miller, who both tossed 87 touchdowns in their careers.
- This season, Ryan has thrown for 3,154 yards marking the third time he's eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark in his career. The fourth-year signal caller threw for a career-high 3,705 yards in 2010 and is on pace to throw for 4,205 yards, which would make Ryan just the second quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a Falcons uniform. Atlanta has not had a 4,000-yard passer since 1995 when QB Jeff George set the franchise record with 4,143 passing yards.
- Atlanta's lone touchdown came on first and goal from the Texans four-yard line. This season, Atlanta has been one of the NFL's best goal-to-go teams as the Falcons lead the League with 15 touchdowns on 17 drives that have produced a first and goal from inside the five-yard line.
- The Falcons put together one of their best third quarters of the season on Sunday, outgaining the Texans 112-65 and outscoring them 7-0. Atlanta also converted three of its four third down plays, while holding Houston to just one conversion in three attempts in the third quarter.
- DE John Abraham recorded his fifth sack of the season when he tackled Yates in the backfield for a five-yard loss late in the game. Abraham now has 107.5 career sacks and is tied with Pat Swilling for the 17th most in NFL history. He ranks second among active players and his 54.0 sacks as a Falcon are the fourth most in team history.
