Before the Ravens went on their bye, Head Coach John Harbaugh told his players to mentally prepare for a team that is playing the best in the AFC.
With injuries to wide receiver Andre Johnson and outside linebacker Mario Williams, and a tough loss in Oakland, the Texans don’t on paper look like the same team from two weeks ago.
But Harbaugh hasn’t backed off his stance.
The Ravens already had a humbling loss to Tennessee after a momentum-building victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’re looking to avoid the same letdown following a win over the New York Jets.
Throughout the week, Harbaugh stressed that the Texans are still a very strong team, a team that’s capable of coming into M&T Bank Stadium and pulling off an upset if not taken seriously.
“He has hammered it in, but you really don’t have to,” linebacker Jarret Johnson said.
“We know the players they still do have are really good. You can relax or whatever because they’ve got a bunch of injuries, but then you’re going to go out and get beat.”
Without Johnson, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub still threw for a season-high 419 yards. He just did it throwing to different people, particularly tight ends Owen Daniels and Joel Dreessen.
Running back Arian Foster is still one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL, and the Texans’ offense can still suck defenses up trying to defend the run and bomb it over their head on play-action.
The defense lost its leading sack artist in Williams, but rookie second-round draft pick Brooks Reed, who will start in his place, is also a strong pass rusher.
While most pundits are picking the Ravens to win at home, NFL Network commentator Sterling Sharpe views the Texans’ injuries as a rallying cry for Houston. He took the Texans.
“A team that is beat up … you’ve got to go in and realize that foxhole mentality, it is now us against them and we’re weaker,” Sharpe said. “And when you get a weaker animal, usually they focus a little bit better.”
3 Matchups To Watch
S Bernard Pollard vs. TE Owen Daniels
Pollard’s coverage skills were the primary reason he wasn’t re-signed in Houston. He’ll have a tough challenge against Daniels, who linebacker Jarret Johnson said reminds him of former Raven Todd Heap. Daniels already has three touchdowns this year and had a season-high seven catches last week. Pollard, who is aggressive coming up to level runners, has to be careful not to get sucked into play-action.
LB Jarrett Johnson vs. RB Arian Foster
The Texans will try to spread the Ravens out with their stretch zone run scheme. It will be up to Johnson and fellow outside linebacker Terrell Suggs to maintain the edge and turn Foster back into the teeth of the Ravens’ defense. They’ve also got to watch out for cutbacks, and thus can’t be overly aggressive. They’ll face a talented Houston Texans offensive line looking to rebound after a tough outing.
FB Vonta Leach vs. LB Brian Cushing
Cushing is a main catalyst in the Texans’ defensive turnaround this season. He’ll also be Houston’s top pass rushing threat with Williams out. Leach says facing his former team is “just another game,” but we’ll see how much joy he seems to take in banging heads with the Texans’ linebackers.
3 Questions To Answer
Can Ravens find offensive consistency?
Baltimore has accomplished its mission of establishing a deep vertical presence. Now it’s a matter of connecting on more short and mid-range completions. Joe Flacco has the lowest completion percentage in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. The Ravens said they’re still trying to find their way with youthful, new weapons, but they’ll have to find it quickly against a stingy Texans defense.
Will Ravens’ defense keep it up?
Baltimore is coming off one of its most dominant defensive performances in recent memory, scoring three touchdowns against the New York Jets. But the veteran Schaub is a different beast than Mark Sanchez. The Ravens were picked apart by Tennessee veteran signal caller Matt Hasselbeck and are looking to make sure they maintain their dominance regardless of the opponent.
Can Ravens continue to overcome injuries?
It was thought that the Ravens would get some of their key players back against the Texans, but wide receiver Lee Evans, cornerbacks Chris Carr and Jimmy Smith and safety Tom Zbikowski are still out. Baltimore will once again likely turn to rookie wideout Torrey Smith and will have a shorthanded cornerbacks corps too. Each has stepped up so far, but it’s a dangerously thin group.
Team Rankings
Ravens
Total Offense – 358.5 (14)
Rush Offense – 123.8 (9)
Pass Offense – 234.8 (18)
Points Per Game – 29.8 (15)
Total Defense – 284.5 (3)
Rush Defense – 72.5 (2)
Pass Defense – 212.0 (8t)
Points Per Game – 14.3 (1)
Texans
Total Offense – 388.6 (8)
Rush Offense – 132.8 (5)
Pass Offense – 265.8 (11)
Points Per Game – 25.4 (9t)
Total Defense – 314.0 (7)
Rush Defense – 105.8 (12)
Pass Defense – 208.2 (6)
Points Per Game – 19.0 (8)