Falcons running back Devonta Freeman followed up his superlative game against the Cowboys in Week 3 with another big game on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
Freeman had 68 yards rushing on 14 carries with three touchdowns and five catches for 81 yards against the Texans. In his first start in place of Tevin Coleman (ribs) Freeman erupted for 141 yards on 30 carries with three touchdowns and also had five catches for 52 yards.
“Devonta is playing lights out,” Falcons wide receiver Roddy White said. “We’ve got to continue to let him play that way. Feed him the ball, feed him the ball.”
Freeman didn’t even need a full game to get 147 total yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t play after his six-yard TD run in the third quarter extended the lead to 35-0.
Freeman’s three touchdowns in four games give him seven on the season. That led the NFL through Sunday’s early games and also surpassed the team-high six rushing touchdowns scored by former Falcons running back Steven Jackson over 15 games during the 2014 season.
As a rookie in 2014 Freeman had just 65 carries for 248 yards and a touchdown. In four games this season he has 66 carries for 252 yards and 17 receptions for 196 yards.
“Opportunity is everything,” Freeman said. “They don’t’ come around often. You’ve just got to take advantage of them when you get them. I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to play in the NFL.”
Freeman scored both Falcons touchdowns as they raced out to a 14-0 lead against the Texans: a 16-yard run in the first quarter and a 23-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. He also helped to set up the Falcons’ fourth TD of the half with a 44-yard reception.
Freeman had two key gains before his first touchdown. The Falcons went for it when faced with a fourth-and-one at the Houston 44-yard line. Freeman ran right and was hit near the line of scrimmage by massive Texans nose tackle Vince Wilfork, but managed to twist and lunge for a yard to gain the first down.
Three plays later Freeman caught a 24-yard pass from quarterback Matt Ryan on third-and-six. Ryan scrambled away from pressure before finding Freeman open along the right sideline.
Freeman finished the drive with the 16-yard touchdown run on the next play. He bounded through a hole on the right side of the line and raced away from safety Quntin Demps for the score.
The Falcons had a first down at Houston’s 23-yard line when Freeman scored his second TD of the day. He burst through hole in the middle of the field, hurdled Demps near the 15-yard line and avoided a tackle attempt by safety Rahim Moore to get to the end zone.
“Big holes,” Freeman said. “Sometimes I go in there untouched. In the NFL the holes close so quick so you’ve got to hit them as soon as they open. They’ve opened some big ones for me.”
Freeman slipped out of the backfield uncovered on his 44-yard catch-and-run that set up a first down at the Houston 12-yard line. Leonard Hankerson caught a three-yard TD pass three plays later.
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