Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith on Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans: "You see why they hired DeMeco. He's got his own flavor. You can see his influence on the whole team. So, it's a good mix. They've got a couple of veterans, and then these young guys are really playing well for them and playing with a lot of confidence."
Falcons Quarterback Desmond Ridder on the Texans: "They're feeling hot coming off a good couple of wins playing as a team, and we know that it's going to be great competition, we're going to have to show up and play our game."
Smith on the Texans offense: "They're hitting explosives getting into drives and then getting into a lot of manageable third downs, staying on track. That's why their numbers, credit to them, their numbers are pretty good on third down because they stay on track, they do a nice job, play extension, hitting the big plays. So, that's what you're seeing, especially the past two weeks."
Smith on Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud: "I think they should have a lot of confidence after the last two games. He's made some plays. He's a talented player. That's the thing about C.J. is you saw it coming out of Ohio State. He was probably the only, to Georgia's defense's credit, C.J. was the only one that looked pretty good against what's arguably been the best defense in college football the last couple of years. So, it shouldn't surprise anybody. He's a good football player. He's making a lot of good throws. He's got a special characteristic. We'll see how his career goes, but I'd be betting on him. Good thing he's in the AFC South because I think the guy's got something to him. I thought that going out, and everybody in Atlanta saw in that national semi-final. So sometimes, you get a soft spot for somebody who's got kicked by a lot of, whatever, narratives, that were ridiculous. The guy's a good player, and he's shown it so far. And it's our job to go stop him and not make him a good player on Sunday. But I bet you he's going to have a really bright future."
Assistant Head Coach/Defense Jerry Gray on Stroud: "He's doing a really, really good job. He understands their system. He's making the right reads, doing the things he needs to do. In their last two wins, he's actually been excellent getting the ball out, getting to the guys he's supposed to be getting to."
Falcons Defensive End Zach Harrison on Stroud, a college teammate of his at Ohio State: "I played against him every day for the last 3.5 years. I know a decent amount about him. C.J.'s always been a ballplayer. He's always been able to throw the ball well and see coverages well, and play quarterback well. It's going to be exciting to get out there and play against him.
Smith on the Texans Defense: " There are a lot of people that run versions of it that you see schematically and the way that they're aggressive and the speed of that defense and getting up the field. Obviously, drafting Will Anderson and then you see Greenard on the other side, he's coming into his own schematically. Christian Harris, a guy they drafted, but he fits what they're doing. Then they get To'oTo'o – I think I said that right. Hellams corrected me on that earlier. You see fast and aggressive. That's what they want. They know who they are. They've got some veteran corners. Brought Jimmie Ward over from San Fran. Pitre is another guy they drafted from Baylor, but he fits what they're trying to do."
Falcons Offensive Lineman Chris Lindstrom on the Texans defense: "Those guys are hard-charging up front. In the same sense, they play fast and they play with a ton of effort. That really stands out on the tape: how much effort those guys play with and obviously they did in San Francisco, and there was a great culture there. You can clearly see it on tape down in Houston."
