(Photo: WMAR)
AFC Divisional Playoff
(4) Houston Texans at (1) Baltimore Ravens
Texans: They’re clicking right now and what amazes me is they’re doing this with a rookie Quarterback and Head Coach. DeMeco Ryans coaching this team makes me feel very old because I remember when he was drafted and when he played. He was the man in the middle of many of those Houston defenses. I’ll admit to you I was way off about the Texans Wild Card game on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns. When those two last met up, it was on Christmas Even and that’s when Amari Cooper had the game of his life recording 265 yards receiving with 11 receptions and the two touchdowns he scored. The one thing that set the Houston Texans back was they were without C.J. Stroud who was in concussion protocol. That’s a very big caveat if I say so myself. Saturday in the Wild Card round was the best I have seen the Texans look all season long. They were bullies up front in the trenches on both sides of the ball, they had balance offensively and Stroud’s playoff debut looked like he had been here before. I was asked about him a few days ago and I responded to the question saying he has the same mentality as Joe Burrow. I’m talking about never being phased by anything and no moment is too big for him. You saw that when they were in Indianapolis a few weekends ago on the road in a hostile environment. My biggest takeaways were how they were able to keep Amari in check the second time around, but most importantly, I loved how they kept Myles Garrett neutralized and in check. You barely heard his name in the entire second half! This is a team that’s going to cause problems for many others for years to come if they continue to build and add more talent. On Saturday, they will help kick off the divisional round of the playoffs where their regular season started.
Ravens: 13-4, an AFC North division crown and for just the second time in franchise history, they are the top seed in the AFC. I’ve had fun watching them because when everything is clicking for them, they are having the time of their lives on that football field. This is a group that literally had no weaknesses. We all know they can run the football and that goes without saying. That’s their brand of football, run it and play downhill. The passing attack is more consistent now and they finally surrounded Lamar with weapons. Even without Mark Andrews, this offense has still been moving the football up and down the field. Most importantly, you can’t talk about the Baltimore Ravens without mentioning defense. That will forever been a staple of this team. They were one of the best units in the league when they had two Hall of Famers playing for them and still are even after those two legends retired. What impresses me about them is they throw so many different looks and people at you and they don’t have that one guy you must zoom in on and neutralize to have success. You truly never know what will happen and this is a unit you don’t want to turn the ball over too because they will make you pay. Lamar Jackson got the money he deserved and put together another strong season that has him as the front runner to win his second Most Valuable Player award. There’s a buzz surrounding this team and it hasn’t been this way in a while. Even if some guys are injured, John Harbaugh knows how to keep his men afloat and focused. The bye week is over and they will begin their postseason at home on Saturday when the Texans come to town!
Texans X-Factor: Sheldon Rankins– He’s a key piece in the middle of this defensive line for the Texans. Sheldon has the mentality of an EDGE rusher playing inside and I say that because he has one goal only which is to get home to the Quarterback. I also see Sheldon playing with that same energy in rushing the passer to stop the run. For a bigger guy, he’s quite shifty and knows how to get to his spots. We will see what he does here on Saturday afternoon to leave his mark. This is a Houston defense that’s improved so much over the season.
Ravens X-Factor: Zay Flowers– He’s that electric weapon for Lamar and their passing game. Zay is that “joystick” in the open field that can cut on the dime, fake one way and go the other along with making people miss in the open field. He has also given the Quarterback another downfield weapon in their passing attack. I remember playing during the regular season against the Bengals where Zay caught a pass in between two defenders. He’s not the biggest guy but he plays like it and you can’t help but cheer for a player like that.
Final Thoughts: The best round of the playoffs is here! Eight teams remain and after this weekend, only four will survive. These two met back in week one and it was a matchup dominated by the Ravens. This would end up being Stroud’s first game as a pro and he was held out the endzone in this game. Months later, here we are and both teams are much different than what they were in that first game of the season. For Houston to have a shot in this game, they must pick their spots and keep Stroud protected because this Baltimore defense will be bringing the heat and will pressure him as often as possible. They must also come away with six each time they reach the red zone because field goals won’t beat this team. Set the tone early and silence that crowd. Also, pressuring Lamar will also be important. Mark Andrews is expected back for the Ravens on Saturday, but exactly how healthy is he? This is Lamar’s favorite weapon for a reason with how he creates mismatches all over the field. I see this being a much closer game than what we saw in week one. Houston will make it tough for Baltimore and we could see some rust from the Ravens as well. In the end, Baltimore is the better team and Justin Tucker will kick the Ravens into their first AFC Championship Game in Baltimore. The Ravens will live to see another week.
Prediction: Ravens 27, Texans 24
