ExtremeRavens Posted Friday at 12:00 PM Posted Friday at 12:00 PM In any normal week, this exercise of delineating advantages between the Ravens and Texans would be an easy call. Favor would fall to Baltimore’s top-to-bottom more talented roster. This is, by no stretch, a normal week for the team in Owings Mills. Who will have the advantage when the 1-3 teams meet Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium? Ravens passing game vs. Texans pass defense The last time Cooper Rush started an NFL game was Dec. 29, 2024. He struggled mightily against the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles to conclude a 9-5 record over the past four years as a spot starter with the Cowboys. On Sunday, when he replaced the injured Lamar Jackson (hamstring), he completed 9 of 13 passes for 52 yards — an uneventful garbage time sample size. The lights get brighter Sunday, assuming he’s called on to start for the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player in a must-win AFC matchup. Coach John Harbaugh had this to say of his confidence in Rush: “Everybody kind of knows what his game is, and he can play that game.” Rush gets rid of the ball quickly and can be a solid pocket passer, a far cry from the offense under Jackson. Even with a bevy of playmakers around him, Rush might be charged with leading this Ravens offense against a Texans defense that leads the league points allowed (12.8 per game, 4 points fewer than the next best defense) and ranks fifth in yards allowed (280.5). After the Texans pitched their third shutout in franchise history last week, star defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who could be lined up opposite a backup left tackle Sunday, said “that’s the type of defense that we knew we had.” EDGE: Texans Texans passing game vs. Ravens pass defense Houston’s passing attack isn’t anything to write home about. Quarterback C.J. Stroud took a step back. Some of that can be attributed to a worse offensive line, a lack of a second option in the passing game after Nico Collins and what has been a slow ramp-up running game. The Texans are bottom-10 in passing yards per game (185.3) and fourth-to-last in points per game (16.0). There are 17 quarterbacks with more passing yards than Stroud and 21 with more passing touchdowns. Last week’s win over Tennessee at least showed something to build on. Still, it’s hard to picture the Ravens’ secondary holding up without All-Pros Kyle Hamilton or Marlon Humphrey. Chidobe Awuzie, who has been one of Baltimore’s more consistent defensive backs thus far, also hasn’t practiced this week. They’re a depleted group among a decimated unit. But before the slew of injuries, no team allowed more points per game than the Ravens. Coming off Week 4, Houston took a step forward and the Ravens took two steps back. EDGE: Texans Ravens’ Zach Orr knows it’s now or never for defense: ‘Hit people harder’ Ravens running game vs. Texans run defense ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky has taken a baseball bat to the Ravens this week, at one point calling them “broken.” One observation, which even Orlovsky said shocked him, was Baltimore’s propensity to shy away from its bell cow back on early downs. The Ravens rank last in the league when it comes to giving the ball to their running back on first or second down. But when they do hand the ball off there, most often to Derrick Henry, they’re second in yards per carry. Henry has 284 rushing yards on 49 carries through four games, with as many touchdowns as fumbles (3). Houston, meanwhile, hasn’t allowed one running back to go for more than 71 yards. Although Henry’s history against the Texans would like a word. In 15 career games versus Houston, the former Titans star has 280 carries for 1,578 yards with 13 touchdowns. When the Ravens and Texans matched up last year on Christmas, Henry clocked 147 yards on 27 carries. With Rush under center, expect Henry, who hasn’t been a world-beater this year, to get the ball a lot. EDGE: Ravens Texans running game vs. Ravens run defense Baltimore’s interior defensive line has been its most banged up positional group. Nnamdi Madubuike is out of the season with a neck injury. Broderick Washington Jr. (ankle) is on the injured list for another three weeks. And Travis Jones missed Sunday’s game in Kansas City because of a knee injury that has limited his practice availability. A group that was already near the bottom of the league in run defense suddenly lost its entire core trio — and at least two of three for a significant period of time. A veteran, rookie and two practice squad elevations will be in charge of plugging a solid running back duo if Jones can’t play. Nick Chubb brings name recognition to the backfield but is having a down year overall, averaging 4.0 yards per carry, which is well below his career average. Rookie Woody Marks is picking up the slack, having gashed the Titans for 119 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. You might think, well, it’s the Titans. There are two teams in the NFL who have allowed a league-most seven rushing touchdowns: the Ravens and Titans. Here’s what Texans coach DeMeco Ryans had to say about Marks: “Some of the runs he made, making guys miss in the hole, playing physical on some of our short yardage runs, him being able to get downhill in the passing game, not just catching the ball and running, but the protection. He had some really good protection clips as well. I thought overall he had a really outstanding game. For a rookie to step in and play the way that he played, really proud of what he did. He sparked a lot of excitement for us, offensively, for our team.” EDGE: Texans Ravens replacement crew: Meet the reserves set to play key roles Ravens special teams vs. Texans special teams If there’s one aspect of the Ravens that doesn’t seem to need immediate or drastic help, it’s the special teams unit. Rookie kicker Tyler Loop has been perfect on field goal attempts, including 1-for-1 from 50-plus, with a single missed extra point attempt in Week 1. The one question for special teams coordinator Chris Horton is how the laundry list of injuries impacts his unit. “It’s like a trickle-down effect,” he said. “To me, the message is, it’s very simple. You get a lot of guys that ask for opportunities. You get a lot of guys that want to play, right? Well, here’s your moment; here’s your opportunity.” Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn has been a tick below perfect (8-for-10) on field goal tries. He’s also missed 2 of 7 attempts from 50-plus, one in each the past two weeks. He’s perfect on extra point tries. Fairbairn — whose full name is John Christian Ka’iminoeauloameka’ikeokekumupa’a Fairbairn — is a nine-year veteran who has been called on for far more big kicks than Loop. Both kickers are off to good starts this season. If this game turns into a slog, Fairbairn’s resume has the edge. EDGE: Texans Ravens intangibles vs. Texans intangibles Brian Clough, widely considered one of the greatest English soccer managers ever, once said, “We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass.” There’s no doubt that the Ravens enter the weekend with a more talented roster. But this must-win game, played on grass without a few big names from that piece of paper, will test Baltimore’s depth. There were 15 players from the 53-man roster on the injury report this week. Eleven of them are starters. Can Rush challenge a stout Texans defense? Can Baltimore’s cornerback depth and cobbled-together defensive line stand up to an offense trending in the right direction? EDGE: Texans Prediction Sure, they could do it. But it’s disingenuous to pick the Ravens. The Texans have the best defense in the NFL and the Ravens are trotting out a backup quarterback to operate an offense that has already endured confounding stretches of rhythm-less play. Houston’s offense is a respectable group that, even with its faults, looks to be moving in the right direction while Baltimore is reeling from one injury after another. The Ravens’ season will be on life support by Sunday night (if it isn’t already). What once looked to be the perfect get-right opportunity for the season now seems destined to bury the Ravens into a 1-4 hole. Texans 21, Ravens 13. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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