Grab The Points As Texans Take On Ravens

Texans vs. Ravens, 4:30 ET

At the beginning of the season, we tend to focus on awards and who will take home the trophies. There are always the usual favorites, and of course, the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal, but we also enjoy the debate about the individual awards. Today we get a game between two teams that are still vying for the Super Bowl, but will also have two individuals who are likely to bring home a trophy themselves. CJ Stroud of the Texans should be Offensive Rookie of the Year and Lamar Jackson of the Ravens is likely to be the MVP.

I mentioned this in my article last week about the Texans and Browns, but the Texans have to be the surprise of the season. Now they've kept their run alive and need to take on the top seed in the AFC in order to try and keep their momentum going and advance in the playoffs. Can it be done? Sure, but it certainly won't be easy. I expected the Browns to be competitive against the Texans last week, but Cleveland once again left their defense at home. It is somewhat interesting that the quarterback they beat last week is one that led the Ravens for so long. I can't give all of credit to the Texans offense. In the first half, they went into the locker room leading by 10 which is solid, but the defense really sealed the deal with two interceptions returned for touchdowns. I don't expect the Ravens to make the same mistakes as the Browns. Stroud was outstanding in the game against Cleveland with 274 yards and three touchdowns. This season Houston was just 4-4 away from their home field, and they did play against Baltimore in Baltimore to open the season. I would love to completely throw that out the window, but you can't completely overlook the 25-9 loss.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 22: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

The start of Baltimore's season seemed a bit shaky, well at least before the season started because there was a bit of a stressful situation between the Ravens and Lamar Jackson. They signed Jackson and it seemed like instantly everything was cleared up. If it wasn't, it really doesn't matter, because winning cures everything. The Ravens have won 10 of their past 12 games and were able to capture the #1 seed in the AFC. One of those losses was a 17-10 loss to the Steelers in Week 18, which really didn't matter as the Ravens already had everything locked up. Jackson has been spectacular this season and should be able to navigate this Houston defense. While the Texans have some young and athletic linebackers, I don't know that they are experienced enough to deal with an offense that is as good as Baltimore. The Ravens can attack you on the ground and probably would prefer to do it that way. When that isn't going, they are able to get the ball to some playmakers like Zay Flowers. Even Odell Beckham Jr. has been reliable for the Ravens. The Baltimore defense has also been spectacular this season. They don't really have a weakness. I expect the Texans to struggle to get on a roll against the Ravens.

When I first looked at this game, I thought the total was too low. Now, I think it is too high. I could see the Texans scoring 17 points and the Ravens winning 24-17 or somewhere in that neighborhood. It doesn't leave us much room for success. I do expect a more competitive Texans team than the first time they played. I'm going to take the points with the Texans. I think they can at least keep this game close and cover the spread.

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