The Baltimore Ravens will have their second consecutive Christmas Day game tomorrow, when they travel to Houston to face the Texans.
The Ravens and Steelers are both 10-5 in the AFC North, with Pittsburgh currently still leading the division due to tiebreakers.
The Texans are 9-6, and have already won the AFC South.
Quick Hits:
- Haven’t seen the latest DVOA rankings after Week 15, but heading into play this past weekend the Ravens were 1st overall in DVOA with the #1 Offense, #13 Defense, and #22 Special Teams. Houston was 9th overall, with the 24th Offense, #1 Defense, and 6th Special Teams
- The Ravens have a +103 Point Differential, with Houston at +20.
- Baltimore is 5-3 on the road, with the Texans 5-2 at home.
- Since the 2nd Bengals game November 8th, the Ravens have played 5 games, and allowed an average of 17.8 points per game, and an average of 278.2 yards per game.
- While you have to note that five game stretch includes Pittsburgh twice, and the Giants with Tommy DeVito; the Ravens defense has improved. Ar’Darius Washington has made a difference at Safety. Getting Michael Pierce back on the line has helped. Nnamdi Madubuike, and Roquan Smith haven’t been at their 2023 levels; but they’re still very good. Travis Jones has flashed a bit more often in his third season. Odafe Oweh has a career high 8 sacks. It’s been a rebound Pro Bowl caliber season for Marlon Humphrey, capped off by his Pick 6 Saturday. Like Madubuike and Smtih; Brandon Stephens hasn’t been as good as last year – but I think he caught a bit too much flak as well. He runs well, he seems like he is typically in good position. Would like to see him get his head around quicker and find the ball. Kyle Van Noy has followed up his 9 sack ’23 season, with 10.5 sacks here in ’24. Tavius Robinson has had moments with his pass rush. Nate Wiggins has had a solid rookie campaign. You can see the athleticism the Ravens liked with his selection. And of course the Defense is led by All-World Kyle Hamilton. Is it a great unit? No. But I think it’s tilting towards above-average and closer to good than most people realize.
- Another unit which has improved during the year is the Ravens Offensive Line. It was a difficult position for that group after the death of Joe D’Alessandris in late August. Think about how maligned this unit was in September. Ronnie Stanley has turned back time and been very good. Most importantly, he’s lined up each week. Tyler Linderbaum is one of the best Centers in the game. Those two are a nice start. Patrick Mekari has worked at LG. Roger Rosengarten has steadily progressed during his rookie year. I look forward to seeing him next year, after a full off-season in the weight room. And while Daniel Faalele does have issues in pass protection, his size makes a difference when the Ravens are looking to ground and pound.
- Justice Hill is an important part of the offense, and the concussion he suffered Saturday shouldn’t be overlooked. Have to expect he’s not playing tomorrow. Maybe an opportunity for Keaton Mitchell to emerge as a factor. Would think that both Mitchell and Rasheen Ali would be active.
- Losing Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell to injuries has limited the ceiling of the Texans, but this is a quality team. Strong Defense. Good Special Teams. CJ Stroud is plenty talented at QB, even if he’s come back to Earth a bit after his magical rookie year. They can run the ball with Joe Mixon. They beat Buffalo earlier in the year, and they had close losses at Green Bay, and home vs. Detroit. I don’t know if I think this group can string together multiple playoff wins, but I think they’re good enough to beat anyone once. With all of the attention on Dell’s horrific injury Saturday, there was less notice of them losing S Jimmie Ward to the IR. I do feel like Houston can still piece together a competent offense. Run the ball with Mixon. Get the play action game going. Work in TE Dalton Schultz. Nico Collins had 80 receptions last year, and now will get a ton of looks. Robert Woods had some big years in the NFL, including a 90 catch season in ’20. The last three years he’s caught 45, 53, and 40. He’s not the threat he was, but he should still be able to contribute. I liked John Metchie III a lot at Alabama, and you’d have to think the 2nd year pro will now be more involved.
- Diontae Johnson being claimed on waivers by the Texans adds some intrigue to this game.
- Justin Tucker had a good day Saturday, making his two kicks, including a long from 51. Would like to see him build on that. No steps back.
- The Ravens are second in the league with 47 sacks. That surprised me.
- I’ve always like Mixon, and he’s had a good year (7 games with 100+ rushing yards); but the last two weeks he has been limited to 26 carries for 80 total yards. I’d think he’d be the focal point for the Ravens Defense.
- The Ravens are a 5 point favorite, and ESPN’s Match-Up Predictor gives the Ravens a 62.7% chance of getting the road win.
Chris Stoner
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.