Texans come to town with Mallett in charge

If you caught some of the “Hard Knocks” episodes before the season started, you know that Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien loves him some Rick Ross.

When the energy level would get low at practice, O’Brien, a former Georgia Tech assistant coach, would order the disc jockey to crank up the volume with something by Rick Ross, a bombastic hip-hop artist with a deep voice.

You also know that Brian Hoyer beat out Ryan Mallett for the starting quarterback spot. But after the first game of the season, a 27-20 loss to Kansas City, the Texans (1-2) switched to Mallett, a former Arkansas quarterback, who will make his fifth NFL start against the undefeated Falcons (3-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

Mallett guided the Texans, who finished 9-7 last season, to a 19-9 victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. He had one interception and finished with a 75.6 passer rating.

Mallett benefited from a strong rushing attack. Running back Alfred Blue rushed for 139 yards on 31 carries behind a revamped offensive line that was missing Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown.

“I think that there are certainly things to improve on, but I thought he managed the game better,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said of Mallett to Houston reporters Monday. “I think he got us into the right play better.”

Mallett, 27, started his college career at Michigan before transferring to Arkansas. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round (74th overall) of the 2011 draft.

Mallett served as Tom Brady’s backup in New England during the 2013 season. He was traded to the Texans for a conditional sixth- or seventh-round pick Aug. 31, 2014.

He played in three games and was 1-1 as a starter last season for the Texans. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Bengals on Nov. 23 to cut his season short.

Mallett, who possesses a lively passing arm, is 2-2 as a starter and still developing.

“I thought his mechanics were better,” O’Brien said. “He was tighter in the pocket. He was a bit more accurate.”

Mallett’s top receiver is DeAndre Hopkins, a former Clemson star. Hopkins caught eight of the 14 passes thrown his way for 101 yards and had a 5-yard touchdown catch against Tampa Bay.

“There are things we need to improve on,” O’Brien said. “He’s really only played four games in this league. I heard him say whether it was high school or college, ‘the more I play, the more comfortable I get. The more confidence, the better I get.’ That’s usually the case with most of us. The more you do things, the better you get at it. Hopefully, we’ll see that.”

The Texans could get Brown back against the Falcons. He’s been out with a right thumb injury. Also, running back Arian Foster has practiced with the team after undergoing groin surgery and is getting closer to returning.

Former Georgia standout Ben Jones anchors the offensive line at center.

When on offense, the Falcons must contain Houston defensive end J.J. Watt, who had 20.5 sacks last season. He has three this season, but was held without a sack last week against the Bucs.

Also, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney has recovered from microfracture knee surgery. The former South Carolina standout is seeking his first sack in the NFL.