While Houston is a couple of notches better than Cleveland, they still aren’t on the Ravens’ level.
WHAT: Week Two at Houston Texans
WHEN: 4:25 p.m. (EST); Sunday, September 20
WHERE: NRG Stadium, Houston (72,220)
RECORDS: Ravens, 1-0; Texans, 0-1
LIFETIME SERIES (regular season): Ravens lead, 8-2. Baltimore has taken three of the last five overall meetings. In Houston, Baltimore has won three of five games, winning on its first three trips there before losing the previous two by a combined 68-26 score. The Ravens haven’t played in Houston since 2014 and haven’t won there since 2010.
LOCAL TV: WJZ-TV, Channel 13 (Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, booth; Melanie Collins, sidelines)
LOCAL RADIO: WIYY-FM, 97.9 (Gerry Sandusky, Obafemi Ayanbadejo, booth)
REFEREE: Tony Corrente
About the Texans
—Even though the Ravens are only in their 25th season of existence, they will this week take on an even younger franchise. The Texans were the league’s 32nd and most recent addition to the league, born out of expansion and realignment in 2002. Houston had been the home to the Oilers, which were part of the old American Football League from 1960-69 and the AFC from 1970 until 1996, after which they moved to Tennessee and changed their name to the Titans in 1999.
—Mostly because of its short lifespan–the franchise is only in its 19th season–Houston has accumulated a mere six playoff berths, the fewest among the current 32-team lineup. However, all of their postseason appearances have come from AFC South Division titles (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019) with no wild-card berths on the team’s resume.
–The Texans have won more than ten games in a season only three times (12 in 2012, 11 in 2018, ten in 2019), and are 4-2 in Wild Card Weekend games. The team has never reached the AFC Championship Game and is one of four current teams to have never played in a Super Bowl–the others being Jacksonville, Cleveland, and Detroit. Houston is part of the AFC South, a division with only two Super Bowl representatives in the 21st century (Indianapolis, 2006 and 2009), tied with the NFC North for the league’s fewest over that span.
–The Ravens-Texans history has had a few notable moments. The teams’ meeting in 2008 had to be postponed due to Hurricane Ike, forcing the Ravens to take their bye in Week Two. Baltimore eventually played 18 straight weeks after that on their way to the AFC title game. In Houston’s first playoff appearance (2011), it was eliminated in Baltimore in the Divisional Round when the Ravens drew their largest-ever crowd (71,547). The Ravens and Texans met on a Monday night in 2010 with the visiting Ravens winning in overtime on an interception return for a touchdown by former University of Maryland star Josh Wilson; that game marked the last time the Ravens won in Houston.
–-Houston is not the first franchise to use the ‘Texans’ name. The AFL’s Dallas Texans eventually moved to Kansas City–one year after winning an AFL championship–and became the Chiefs. An earlier version of the Dallas Texans folded (the last NFL team to do so, as the league’s popularity would later soar) and was purchased by an investment group headed by Carroll Rosenbloom. The team moved to Baltimore in 1953, and the group retained the Colts name–a name that had been picked via a fan contest for an earlier incarnation of the team. The second Colts team played in Charm City until 1983.
–NRG Stadium, site of Sunday’s game, was the NFL’s first retractable-roof stadium and has hosted two of Houston’s three Super Bowls, both won by New England. The Patriots beat Carolina there in Super Bowl 38–the year of the infamous Janet Jackson ‘wardrobe malfunction’ at halftime–and came from behind to take down Atlanta in the first-ever overtime Super Bowl (51). Houston’s other Super Bowl, between Miami and Minnesota in Super Bowl 8, was held at Rice University since the Astrodome was already booked (boat show). The stadium opened with a grass surface in 2002 but switched to permanent synthetic turf in 2015.
—This game against Baltimore serves as the Texans’ home opener after a ten-day mini-bye following a Week One loss at defending champion Kansas City. Houston has three of its first five games at home, but after the bye week, Houston has three of four and four of six games on the road, including a Thanksgiving game in Detroit. If the Texans are still in contention down the stretch, it helps that they have their final two games at home against Cincinnati and Tennessee.
–Houston got to ten wins last year through five two-game winning streaks, a rather unusual pattern. As the season went on, the Texans reverted to being a mediocre team despite its record. The team played most of the season with a pretty good run-pass balance, but that went away down the stretch, and it finished with a minus-149 (434 runs, 583 passes, including sacks allowed). At one point, Houston averaged 31:31 per game of possession time, the league’s seventh-best figure, but faded to finish the season at a rather average 30:02. Houston was guilty of slow starts, getting outscored 75-47 in the first quarter of its games in 2019. The Texans also fumbled the ball 20 times, losing eight, and finished with an even turnover ratio (22 giveaways, 22 takeaways). They also scored 46 touchdowns and allowed the same number, and gained 346 first downs while also allowing 346. On top of everything else, the team committed 111 penalties while forcing opponents to commit 109.
—Houston’s 2019 penalty total was tied with Pittsburgh for the 12th-highest in the league, although it was flagged only five times against Kansas City in Week One. The offensive line was a major culprit last year, committing a league-high 30 false-start penalties, but on the bright side, Houston was the only team in the league not to get called at all for offensive pass interference. Individually, tackle Laremy Tunsil, recipient of a lucrative extension, was one of the league’s most-penalized players with 15 flags (tied with Jacksonville tackle Jawaan Taylor for the league lead), including 12 false starts and one hold. Cornerback Lonnie Johnson was called four times for pass interference, and the Texans’ usually-potent pass rush was flagged just twice for roughing the passer, both by three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt.
—In 2019, Houston was 13th in total offense (ninth rushing, 15th passing, 14th scoring at 23.6 points per game). The Texans were rather mediocre in most offensive categories, but their third-down rate (43.5) was the league’s eighth-best, and the red-zone touchdown percentage (64.1) ranked seventh. Houston averaged 21.6 first downs per game, ninth-best in the league. Last year, the Texans ranked 28th in total defense (25th vs. rush, 29th vs. pass, 14th scoring, allowing 24.1 points per game). At midseason, Houston ranked third in rush defense, allowing over 84 yards per game before fading badly down the stretch. On third downs, Houston allowed conversions at a 48.5 percent pace, next-to-last in the league; in the red zone, the Texans yielded touchdowns at a 71.4 percent, ranking 32nd and last.
—Head coach Bill O’Brien (54-49, including playoffs) is the fourth man to hold the position in Texans history. The team’s general manager, O’Brien, follows illustrious coaching names such as Dom Capers and Wade Phillips. Gary Kubiak coached in Houston just before coming to Baltimore as the offensive coordinator in 2014. O’Brien, who has won his last eight games coming off a loss, needs a nine-win season to tie Kubiak for the most head-coaching wins in team history. O’Brien is the first head coach in Texans’ history to lead the team to at least three straight winning seasons. A former New England Patriots offensive assistant, O’Brien was Penn State’s head coach in the 2012 and 2013 seasons and was on the University of Maryland staff in 2003 and 2004.
—Here are noteworthy assistant coaches on O’Brien’s staff. They include former longtime head coach and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel (assistant head coach), defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver (Ravens 2002 second-round pick), offensive assistant TJ Yates (who started a playoff game for Houston at quarterback against Baltimore), ex-Texans Pro Bowl wideout Andre Johnson (special advisor to the head coach), and former Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, now the team’s assistant strength coach.
—When the Texans played in Baltimore in 2017, then-rookie quarterback DeShaun Watson missed the game with a knee injury. He has only faced the Ravens once, losing at Baltimore last year, 41-7. It was a bad day for Watson, who completed passes to just six different receivers and completed a mere 18 of 29 passes for 169 yards and an interception (63.7 rating). He was also sacked six times. Watson, the 12th overall pick in 2017, has made the last two Pro Bowls after quarterbacking Clemson to the 2016 national championship. Watson was a Heisman Trophy runner-up, a Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, and a two-time Davey O’Brien Award winner. He currently holds nine Houston franchise records. Against the Chiefs in the opener, Watson completed 20 of 32 passes, got sacked four times, and played to an 84.5 rating. NFL journeyman AJ McCarron backs him up.
—Carlos Hyde’s departure for Seattle in free agency left the Texans thin at running back. The team traded with Arizona to get veteran David Johnson in the controversial transaction involving receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Johnson (77 yards, 11 carries, TD in Week One) lost his starting job to Kenyon Drake last year and gained only 345 yards in 2019 for the Cardinals, averaging 3.7 yards-per-carry. But he will be counted on to be the workhorse back, while Duke Johnson, a dual-threat acquired via trade from Cleveland two years ago, will again serve as the change of pace. Last year, Johnson had just 83 carries and 44 receptions, scoring a total of five touchdowns. The mobile Watson ran for 413 yards last year, three more than Johnson.
—With Hopkins and his 104 catches gone from last year, the Texans have attempted to remake their wideout corps through free agency. The lone top returnee is the oft-injured Will Fuller, the team’s primary deep threat who missed the Texans’ road game in Baltimore last year. Fuller caught eight balls last week for 112 yards. New to the team this year are journeymen Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb (two catches each against the Chiefs), while Kenny Stills joined the team last year from Miami. Fifth-round rookie Isaiah Coulter (Rhode Island) was the last of the franchise’s five draft picks, one of the smallest draft classes. Last year, Fuller and Stills combined for 89 catches and seven touchdowns. At tight end, both Darren Fells and Jordan Akins return; the tandem caught 70 passes between them. Fells scored seven touchdowns in 2019, while Akins notched a touchdown against Kansas City last week.
—The Texans like to run the ball, and with Watson providing a Lamar Jackson-type dynamic, it’s incumbent upon the line to keep him clean. Last year, Houston ran for over 125 yards per game but allowed 49 sacks. Center Nick Martin is a Notre Dame graduate in his fifth year in the league. What makes him noteworthy is this: when Houston visited the Ravens last year, he was the only Houston offensive line starter remaining from when the team faced Baltimore in 2017, a product of the unit’s ineffectiveness and resulting overhaul. The aforementioned Tunsil has been healthy and reliable at left tackle, but prone to penalty problems. Second-year right tackle Tytus Howard has provided some stability at that spot, as has second-year left guard Max Scharping, who can also play tackle. Right guard Zach Fulton was a 2014 Kansas City Chiefs sixth-round pick (193rd overall) now in his third season in Houston.
—The Texans’ three-man defensive line and anemic pass rush (31 sacks last year) will be buoyed by the return of three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt. Watt did not face the Ravens last year due to a season-ending pectoral injury. Watt has averaged 0.84 sacks per game in his career, second in NFL history to Reggie White’s 0.85. On the opposite end should be Charles Omenihu, a promising second-year player from Texas who averaged 32 snaps per game last year and got three sacks in 14 games. Carlos Watkins is a swing backup at both end positions, but Houston hopes a future star will be born in the person of Ross Blacklock, who was the team’s top draft pick despite being taken in the second round (40th overall). Blacklock (TCU), the roster’s youngest player at 22, had nine tackles for loss in his final collegiate season and can play anywhere along the line, but for now, he backs up fifth-year nose man Brandon Dunn, who had a pair of tackles in the opener last week.
—Mostly due to Watt’s absence, the linebackers had little room to roam and push the pocket last year. The 7.5 sacks accumulated by weak-side rusher Whitney Mercilus was one of the lowest team-leading totals in the NFL. Mercilus and opposite number Brennan Scarlett (undrafted free agent, 2016) combined for 11 quarterback takedowns. The inside tandem of Bernardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham, a 2017 second-round pick (57th overall) from Vanderbilt, only racked up three sacks. McKinney is a 2015 second-rounder (43rd overall) named to his first Pro Bowl in 2018. Last week against the Chiefs, the Texans deployed only three linebackers and a nickel defense, with Scarlett the odd man out who did see action off the bench. Cunningham led the team with eight tackles, and McKinney had seven; the team accumulated just one sack and three quarterback hits.
–The Texans’ pass defense in the secondary was injury-riddled and particularly vulnerable last year, allowing 33 passing scores and recording just 12 total interceptions. Veteran safety Tashaun Gipson had three of the pickoffs and ran one of them back for a 79-yard touchdown, but he left for Chicago in free agency. Justin Reid, a Stanford product who was a third-round pick (68th overall) in 2018, is returning at safety, and he recorded two pickoffs in 2019. In the team’s mostly-nickel scheme, Eric Murray (seven tackles in the opener) and AJ Moore are also deployed alongside Reid as safeties. Free-agent pick Vernon Hargreaves and Bradley Roby are the starting cornerbacks. Hargreaves, a first-round pick in 2016, comes to the team after four seasons in Tampa Bay, and Roby is a seven-year veteran in his second year with the Texans after five seasons in Denver. An injured Roby (six tackles last week) missed last year’s meeting with Baltimore.
—Houston could boast about some above-average special teams play last year, allowing a league-low 3.4 yards per punt return and just 18.6 on kicks, second-best in the league. Last week in Kansas City, the team allowed no punt returns and two kick runbacks at a 24-yard rate. In 2019, the Texans ran back punts at a 9.7 rate, the NFL’s fifth-best. The main return man is DeAndre Carter, who broke into the league as an undrafted backup wide receiver for Baltimore but didn’t survive the training-camp cut. He bounced around to four other teams before landing with Houston late in 2018. On punts, he mostly played it safe, with 18 fair catches and no runback longer than 23 yards. He is not as sharp on kickoffs, however, averaging just 22 yards on 14 returns. Against Kansas City last week, Carter ran back one punt for 19 yards and three kicks for 66.
—Fifth-year kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn (UCLA) has had a longer career than one might expect, given his propensity for missing shorter field goals and extra points. He missed a staggering five conversions last year, but he did convert at a 20-for-25 pace on field goals, with three of his misses coming from beyond 50 yards. Fairbairn also missed his only attempt in Week One at Kansas City, blasting a 51-yard try wide right. Former longtime Jacksonville Jaguars punter Bryan Anger now plies his trade in Houston and was among the league’s best last year with a 46.5 gross average and 44.5 net, thanks in part to good coverage. He had just two touchbacks and 24 coffin-corner punts in 45 attempts, including a 71-yarder. None of his punts were blocked. In Week One at Kansas City, he punted three times for a 41-yard average, with two landing inside the 20. At 34, long snapper Jon Weeks is the roster’s oldest player.
Prediction
The Texans are coming off a mini-bye following a Thursday-night season opener at defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City. In that game, a 34-20 loss, they were worn down by a superior team playing at home on the night it raised a second championship banner.
Now, they get to host a Ravens team that is fresh from a near-perfect, comprehensive beatdown of the woeful Cleveland Browns. The Ravens had minimal roster turnover this year, and they are mostly healthy–not to mention incredibly talented.
The wind was knocked out of the Texans’ sails by blowing a 24-point lead in last year’s playoffs–something no franchise recovers from easily. While Houston is a couple of notches better than Cleveland, they still aren’t on the Ravens’ level.
Baltimore 30, Houston 17
