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Live discussion: Texans, Cowboys need overtime

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This week’s Monday edition of our NFL Google+ hangout -- “NFL Slam with Mark and Sam,” starring Times NFL columnist Sam Farmer and Mark Thompson of “Mark and Brian” radio fame -- will start at 11:30 a.m. and cover a host of topics.

One sure topic are the games from Week 11. As Farmer wrote earlier,

“The Texans and Cowboys squeaked by in overtime. The Falcons overcame five Matt Ryan interceptions, and played from behind for 31/2 quarters before edging the woeful Cardinals, 23-19.

“Part of playing this position is knowing there are going to be times when you make mistakes, when you fall flat on your face,” said Ryan, who had never had more than three passes intercepted in a game. “You’ve got to get up and keep playing, keep throwing it. In those kind of situations, I’m just worried about the next play.”

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“Ryan claimed a dubious slice of history with the performance. According to STATS LLC, he’s the first quarterback since Green Bay’s Bart Starr in 1967 to win a game despite having five passes intercepted with no touchdowns. Pretty much the definition of winning ugly.

“That’s good company to be in,” Ryan said.

“Meanwhile, both Texas teams came away with oh-so-narrow victories.

“The Texans, favored by 16 over Jacksonville, won in overtime, 43-37, thanks to a career-high 527 yards and five touchdown passes by Matt Schaub. The winning one was a screen to Andre Johnson in the extra period, which the All-Pro receiver turned into a 48-yard score.

“When I caught the ball, and I saw how open I was, I was looking around like, ‘Where are the defenders at?’” said Johnson, who notched career highs with 14 catches for 273 yards. “I took off running, I kept looking. I thought the cornerback would come from the outside, but he wasn’t there. It was just the safety, so I was just saying to myself, ‘I can’t let him tackle me.’”

“The Jaguars, who came into the game with the league’s least productive offense, came to life with Chad Henne at quarterback in place of the injured Blaine Gabbert.

“Henne threw for four touchdowns, and rookie receiver Justin Blackmon caught seven passes for 236 yards.”

“NFL Slam with Mark and Sam” is held every Monday and Friday at 11:30 a.m. You can watch it on this blog post. If you have questions for Mark and Sam, email them to sportshangout@latimes.com and we will try to get them answered live during the chat.

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