There are always a few teams that seem to be an impossible matchup on your docket. For the Houston Texans, that happens to be the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are 11-2 lifetime against the Texans. In the 24 year history of the franchise, I am not sure if there is any opponent for which the Texans have a worse winning percentage. I’m sure the crack researchers out there reading our stuff could come back with a response. I think it is pretty safe to say there can’t be many that we have faced that many times.
The battle with the Ravens seems like an annual affair these days. Add in the specter of Derrick Henry and you have what seems like a whole stadium full of Kryptonite for the Texans to overcome. When you combine their success with his personal success against the Texans it would seem like an impossible situation. Yet, the injury report brings a glimmer of hope. Lamar Jackson will not be suiting up on Sunday, so maybe this is one that can defy the odds.
Baltimore Ravens
- S Kyle Hamilton— 81.7
- C Tyler Linderbaum— 78.6
- WR Zay Flowers— 77.0
- LB Trenton Simpson— 75.8
- DE Odafe Oweh— 75.1
From this list, Kyle Hamilton is currently questionable with an injury. He is a player that haunts the Texans for a different reason. Nick Caserio could have selected him instead of Kenyon Green in the 2022 draft. Of course, now Green is back into the fold. The Ravens are fairly stout on offense in spite of not having Jackson. Cooper Rush is one of the more experienced and accomplished backups in the league. Still, he is not Lamar Jackson. The Ravens could be human without him, but they still have their vaunted running attack. Henry may look his age, but something about the Texans acts like the fountain of youth for him.
Houston Texans
- DE Daniele Hunter— 89.3
- DE Will Anderson— 87.8
- G Ed Ingram— 85.6
- DT Tim Settle— 83.0
- DT Sheldon Rankins— 75.8
The strength of the Texans is staring us right in the face. They are the only team in the NFL to have four defensive linemen (qualifying in snaps) to be above 75.0 according to PFF, Tommy Togiai also has over a 70 rating, but he did not qualify in snaps. Just imagine that Denico Autry had his practice window opened. He likely will be coming back after the bye. This is going to be a dangerous defense beyond what it is right now.
Ed Ingram has to be the story of the season. He is the highest rated guard in the NFL according to PFF. Unfortunately, once you get past Ingram and Tytus Howard, the rest just goes downhill from there. The rest of the guards and Airontae Ersery all rate below 50 in the rating. So essentially, the right hand of your offensive line is solid. The left side has been trash.
What will the Ravens offense do?
This seems pretty easy. Believe it or not, the Texans saw Cooper Rush last season. He threw the ball 70 times as the Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback. They were all dumps and dinks as the Texans coasted easily to victory. The Ravens still have a vaunted rushing attack without Lamar Jackson. Derrick Henry is still on pace to surpass 1000 yards and Justice Hill has been effective with fewer carries. Hill will be taking on more of the load in this one as the Ravens will probably need to run it a combined 30 or more times in order to win this game.
What will the Texans offense do?
The Ravens defense just might be a mirror image of the Texans offense so far this year. I don’t make it a habit to listen to a whole lot of Baltimore talk radio, but I can imagine that their defense is coming under the same scrutiny that our offense is here. This game will be a battle to see which unit comes out with a little more bloom on the rose. The running game is the key. If Woody Marks and Nick Chubb can get some chunk plays and keep the offense ahead of the sticks then this will be the second encouraging game in a row. If they can’t then Nick Caley will be back in the stages of suck.
What will the Ravens defense do?
If the Ravens are missing key defensive linemen and Kyle Hamilton it could end up being a very long day. The key for them will be to control the running game and shut down Nico Collins. Outside of that, the Texans have not been able to do much all season. So, the easy answer is to make sure someone other than Collins beats you in the passing game. Force C.J. Stroud to check it down repeatedly and make those decisions on a consistent basis throughout the game. History has shown that he has not been able to.
What will the Texans defense do?
The strength of the Texans is in their defensive line. The end game here is to apply constant pressure on Cooper Rush and potentially get a strip sack or force him into some risky throws. You don’t have to spy Rush like you would Lamar Jackson. The Texans can just tee off on him as they would any other immobile quarterback. That starts with shutting down Henry and Justice and forcing the Ravens into obvious passing situations. If they are able to do that it will be a long day for Rush.
