Beyonce and Ravens Football: Baltimore Eyes AFC North Title in Christmas Day Showdown Against Houston

The NFL regular season is coming to a close and the Baltimore Ravens are in a battle for the AFC North title with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore is coming off of a 34-17 win against Pittsburgh on Saturday and now sits at 10-5 and in second place in its division. Wednesday’s Christmas matchup features the Ravens against the 9-6 Houston Texans, who sit atop the AFC South, secured a playoff spot already and are the No. 4 seed in the AFC. Houston fell 27-19 to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Houston has struggled in recent weeks, losing wide receiver Tank Dell falling short in games against Miami and Jacksonville. Baltimore’s coming into the game relatively healthy.

Baltimore and Houston will be the first NFL game ever televised on Netflix with pop superstar Beyonce performing at halftime. The game is set to take place at 4:30 p.m. 

Speaking of Beyonce, Lamar Jackson is excited about watching her halftime performance. He’s a huge fan of hers and plans to stay out instead of entering the locker room on Wednesday.

“I ain’t sorry,” he said, confirming that he’ll stay out on the field to catch his first-ever Beyoncé performance.

“First time seeing Beyoncé perform and it’s at our game?! That’s dope,” Jackson added, apologizing to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. “Sorry Harbaugh, sorry fellas.”

Jackson went on to explain that he wasn’t disrespecting his teammates but was excited about the opportunity. “I’m not even thinking about the lead, I’m just thinking about seeing Beyoncé for the first time.”

He wouldn’t be the first player to stick around during a halftime show with Cincinnati Bengals kicker watching the Super Bowl LVI halftime performance featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and others.

By the Numbers

The Ravens are led by Lamar Jackson and have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Baltimore ranks first in yards per play (6.9) and third in points per play. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense has its work cut out for it. 

Houston’s offense has struggled at times, ranking 19th in yards per game, 19th in passing yards per game and 13th in points per game. With a number of injuries to the Texans’ wide receivers and Baltimore’s league-best run defense, which allows just 3.6 yards per carry, Houston could struggle.

Previous Matchups

Sept. 10, 2024, Baltimore wins 25-9

Both teams faced off during the regular season with Baltimore taking the season-opening matchup in a 25-9 win. Baltimore lost running back J.K. Dobbins had a torn Achilles tendon, but Justice Hill filled in nicely with two second-half touchdowns. The Ravens stymied the Texans’ offense in the red zone. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud was challenged by Baltimore’s defense and had 242 passing yards, but was sacked five times.

Despite two turnovers from Lamar Jackson, he led the team in rushing a found then-rookie receiver Zay Flowers nine times. Baltimore had multiple injuries to safety Marcus Williams and left tackle Ronnie Stanley.

Jan. 20, 2024, Baltimore wins 34-10

Jackson tossed two touchdown passes and had two rushing touchdowns in Baltimore’s win in the AFC Divisional Round. The MVP quarterback had 100 rushing yards and passed for 152 and became the first quarterback since 1948 to have two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, 100 rushing yards, and a 100 passer rating in the same game.

Baltimore was locked in at 10-10 at halftime with Houston succumbing to penalties and the second half and being unable to score a touchdown against the Ravens.

The Ravens outscored the Texans 59-19 last season with Stroud struggling in both games.

Quarterbacks

Lamar Jackson

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is gunning for his third Most Valuable Player award and is in the middle of a dogfight for his second straight with Buffalo Bills signal-caller Josh Allen. Jackson just had his 12th game where his passer rating eclipsed 100, going 15-for-23 for 207 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and one interception. 

The 27-year-old quarterback has completed 67.92% of his passes for 3,787 yards (career-high), along with 37 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has 765 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

C.J. Stroud

Stroud has had a bit of a sophomore slump, but still remains talented. He has completed 63.2% of his passes for 3,492 yards, with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a passer rating of 87.7.

His best performance came in a 345-yard, two-touchdown outing against the Jaguars in Week 4, posting a stellar passer rating of 110.9. He also had 331 yards and a passing touchdown game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 with a passer rating of 97.6.

He’s had his struggles too, struggling against the Green Bay Packers in Week 7 with a paltry 86 yards and no touchdowns through the air. Stroud had 192 passing yards and three touchdowns against the New England Patriots in Week 6 was one of his best and had a passer rating of 100.5. He had a two-touchdown, 131-yard performance in a win against the Dolphins in Week 15, where he finished with a 106.4 passer rating.

Keys to the Game

Baltimore has its hands full with defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. The Houston duo have combined for 21.5 sacks on the season, but Baltimore’s offensive line held Pittsburgh to just one sack in its last matchup.

The Ravens will take on the Texans’ top receiver in Nico Collins with Brandon Stephens potentially being locked in coverage. Collins has 909 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Notes

Baltimore claimed wide receiver Steven Sims off waivers from the Texans, according to Aaron Wilson. 

Houston claimed wideout Diontae Johnson from Baltimore after the team released him on Monday. Sims, 26, was an undrafted free agent from Kansas in 2019 and signed with the Washington Commanders. The Commanders subsequently released him in 2021 after training camp, then he briefly joined the Buffalo Bills, before being released and signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad.