Ravens Blowout Texans 31-2 on Christmas Day
The Baltimore Ravens entered Christmas day tied for first in the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a dominate performance on both sides of the ball, the day ended with Charm City on top of the division and a game ahead of the Steelers. Who lost to the top seed Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens now control their own destiny and are starting to play their best football heading into January.
The Ravens will host the Cleveland Browns in week 18 and will be looking to clinch the AFC North in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2018-2019 season and 2019-2020 season.
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore dominated this game from start to finish. The offense was explosive and efficient, putting on another great performance. The Ravens outgained the Texans in total yards 432 to the Texans 211. Converted on 44% of their 3rd downs and limited the penalties in this game with only 3. Coach Harbaugh made it a focal point to be more disciplined when it comes to penalties, and they did just that.
Lamar Jackson continues his “MV3” season with another great performance. He had 255 total yards, going 10/15 for 168 yards and 2 passing touchdowns and 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 4 carries. Lamar Jackson is the 1st player in NFL history to average 10+ yards per passing attempt, and 20+ rushing yards per rushing attempt. Not only did he get the win, but he reached another milestone. He broke Michael Vick’s record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history, reaching 6,110 rushing yards.
Lamar was not the only one who broke a record. Derrick Henry had himself a day as well having 27 carries for 147 yards and 2 catches for 18 yards. Henry also got his 16th touchdown of the season, breaking the Ravens franchise record for most touchdowns in a season. Mark Andrews also caught his 10th touchdown of season.
One thing that is going under the radar is how much the Ravens defense has improved. This defense held the Texans offense to 0 points while getting 5 sacks and 1 interception. This defense is far from being where they want to be, but they are starting to come together as the regular season comes to an end.
Houston Texans
Unfortunately, Texans fans did not receive the gift they were hoping for. Out of Houston’s 7 losses, 5 of them have been by 1 possession. This team has the potential to compete with the top teams in the AFC. But their chances of going to the Super Bowl has gotten lower every week due to the significant injuries on offense including 2 of CJ Stroud’s top receivers in Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Stroud’s “sophomore slump” is starting to become real. This offense is lacking the explosive plays they had last season, and it is starting to show when they play teams above .500. They have a 1-5 record against teams with a winning record as of today.
The Texans had the number 4 ranked defense entering the game. They looked like anything but that. The Ravens offense has put up numbers against most of the defenses they have faced this season. But for Houston to just be out physical and dominated in every phase of the game is unacceptable. With 1 game remaining in the regular season, the Texans do not have a lot of time to address these problems. They will travel to Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans in week 18.
The Texans are locked in at the 4 seed and will be hosting 1 playoff game. The way things are shaking up, it is likely that they will face either the Steelers or the Ravens in the first round. If they must meet up with the Ravens for a 2023 playoff rematch, the Texans will need to prepare and must play a perfect game to be victorious.
Geoffrey Huggins
DiSportsPhotoAgency
Writer
