Win sets up a battle of unbeatens with Super Bowl champ Chiefs.
Sunday, September 20, 2020: In the malaprop-infested world of the late Yogi Berra, it could have been “déjà vu all over again.” Back in 2008, the Baltimore Ravens were scheduled to play a Week Two game in Houston. Still, it was postponed due to Hurricane Ike, forcing the team to take its bye that day and play 18 consecutive weeks in a gauntlet that ended with an AFC Championship Game loss in Pittsburgh.
This year, the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico hurricane season have been more active than usual, forcing a similar scenario this time around. Tropical Storm Beta pounded the stadium roof as Baltimore and Houston did battle. Fortunately, Sunday’s game went off as scheduled, and because of that, the Ravens will get to enjoy their November 1 off-week.
And speaking of off, the host Texans seem to be a bit short of their game this year. A talented roster beset by a controversial trade, ill-timed injuries, and players that seem to be past their peak was the wrong kind of team to take into a match-up with the dominant visiting Ravens. The result? Baltimore won, 33-16, late Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium to run their record to 2-0.
With the roof closed, it was only the Ravens’ seventh indoor win in 22 such games in their history. But it was their franchise-record 14th straight regular-season win.
It was also Baltimore’s seventh straight win on the road, where it still has a record far below .500. But in that streak, the Ravens have outscored their hosts by a formidable 242-108 margin.
For this Ravens team, the only real pressing issue seems to be whether it can advance in the playoffs after two straight one-and-done January campaigns. But perhaps some temporary motivation can be found in the fact that the franchise’s best-ever starts to a season were 4-0 in 2006 and 3-0 in 2009 and, again, in 2016.
The Ravens are now able to match the last benchmark, but they will have to do it in a much-anticipated showdown with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. KC will be the second undefeated reigning trophy-holder to visit Baltimore in Ravens’ franchise history–following New England’s visit last year.
Since the Chiefs and Ravens have been forecast by many observers as the AFC’s, and perhaps the league’s, top two teams, the winner of this showdown could eventually land the top AFC playoff seed–not to mention the first-round bye that goes with it.
The Chiefs have won the last two meetings between the teams, which took place in Kansas City the past two years. This time the game will be a Monday Night East Coast game (Monday, September 28, 8:15 pm; ESPN).
The Ravens will go into that game after winning a Texas tune-up. Going into the game, Baltimore knew that it would be more difficult than its 38-6 Week 1 blowout of the Cleveland Browns. That said, the Ravens’ top-flight secondary didn’t have to deal with standout receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was shipped off to the Arizona Cardinals in a controversial off-season trade engineered by head coach Bill O’Brien, who is also the team’s general manager.
Deep threat Will Fuller, the Notre Dame product who missed last year’s Texans game in Baltimore due to injury, got to play this time and was practically blanked. No passes were thrown his way, and he had only one rushing attempt. On the ground, ex-Cardinals dual-threat running back David Johnson, who came to the team in the Hopkins transaction, gained just 34 yards on 11 carries.
The run game was a weak point for both teams in a stagnant first half, but it was the Ravens who got going first. After gaining 44 first-half yards, they exploded for 186 in the second half, icing the game with 17 straight running plays, including 12 consecutive plays that led to the last of Justin Tucker’s four field goals.
Three of Tucker’s kicks were inside 40 yards; he has now made 65 straight field-goal tries from 40 or fewer yards.
But Baltimore’s offense didn’t seem to fire on all cylinders, as the offensive line was inconsistent in the run game and allowed quarterback Lamar Jackson to get sacked four times.
But Jackson took advantage of an undermanned Texans secondary to complete 18 of 24 passes for 204 yards, a touchdown, and a 113.9 passer rating.
Like the run game, the defense indeed came alive in the second half, when it got all four of its sacks against Houston signal-caller DeShaun Watson (25-for-36, 275 yards, touchdown, interception, 89.5 rating).
Watson could only run for 17 yards on five carries as Houston, even with newcomer David Johnson, never got a single run play that got more than nine yards all day. Watson was hurried 12 times and had six passes knocked down, on top of all the sacks.
For a second straight week, rookie middle linebacker Patrick Queen led the team in tackles with nine. Cornerback Marcus Peters made a spectacular diving interception after peeling off his cover target and falling back to double another receiver. Linebacker LJ Fort scored his first career touchdown, picking up Marlon Humphrey’s fourth career forced fumble and rumbling into the end zone.
The offense made a timely big play as well. On fourth-and-1 at the Texans’ 30, Jackson lined up wide, practically telegraphing a direct snap to running back Mark Ingram. But Houston didn’t seem to catch on, and Ingram ran 30 yards almost untouched for a touchdown that iced the game at 30-13.
For the Ravens, the real dilemma comes next week, wearing red and carrying the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
