OTL: Time to Destroy the Demons of 2019

Happy Playoff Purple Friday, Flock! Back here filling in for Jared, but you don’t care WHO gives you your Ravens info, you just want it, so let’s get right to it!

For starters, Joe Flacco – who I must say I’m glad is not coming to M&T Bank Stadium with the Browns tomorrow – was on Pardon My Take again, and he talked about how awesome it was being on a team with Ray Lewis. Specifically, how Ray’s tunnel entrance changed Joe’s entire outlook on the ceremony.

.@JoeFlacco had a front row seat to Ray Lewis running out of the tunnel@rhoback pic.twitter.com/3lQQZwV0gP

— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) January 19, 2024

“I tell people man,” Joe said. “I never liked coming out of the tunnel, doing all that stuff, and then you get to see Ray Lewis come out of the tunnel in person. It might have been a week or two ago, we were in a QB meeting in Cleveland, and I was telling the young guys how bad I felt for them to not get to experience that in person.”

A few months ago, we heard former Bengals QB Carson Palmer talk about how much he looked forward to watching Ray come out of the tunnel. Joe also spoke about how the other team would be watching. We Ravens fans remember that. If you had tickets to the game during Ray’s career, you made damn sure to be in your seats to watch Ray come out. Goosebumps.

Back to the present…

My guys over at the Deep Cover Pod, including RSR alums Carey & Mike, recorded their Houston preview last night. Dennard from The Fire Zone Show joined them, and I highly recommend checking out the show.

A good time was had!@TheFireZoneShow joined the pod to preview the Ravens divisional round playoff game vs the Texans.https://t.co/D5bIAgOZk8 pic.twitter.com/qwdtLsrgAX

— Deep Cover Pod (@deepcoverpod) January 19, 2024

(The link there is for Apple, but it’s on Spotify as well. Just look up Deep Cover Pod.)

Staying with Texans-Ravens previews, Dev and Nikhil are deep in the lab putting together their Battle Plans column, which will be up a little later today. For now, Dev has this to say:

Firmly believe at this point, anyone who is bringing up 2019 & past playoff failures is just holding on for one last hope against the #Ravens. Forget 2019: We want redemption for 2020, 2021 & 2022. This team has never been at full force until now. Time to go grab that brass ring.

— Dev Panchwagh (@devpanchwagh) January 19, 2024

This is the truth. Ravens fans are scarred by that 2019 game in all the worst ways. But John Harbaugh, and moreover, Lamar Jackson, are motivated in all the right ways by it. Houston doesn’t roll in with a guy like Derrick Henry, and Todd Monken won’t be flabbergasted by a new defensive game plan like Marty & Greg were before him.

A key matchup in the game will be the Ravens OL, which has been playing great lately, against the Texans’ pass rush. Cole dives into that film here:

And don’t miss our predictions for the game here:

RSR Predictions: The Texans Are Coming

Need one last boost of confidence? As the guys said on Deep Cover, the Texans’ schedule was…less that impressive. Who’s the best QB they’ve faced lately? Since losing to Jacksonville, they’ve faced Russell Wilson, Zach Wilson (a loss), Will Levis/Ryan Tannehill, Joe Flacco twice, and Gardner Minshew.

On the other side? C.J. Stroud hasn’t been the same QB on the road, even playing mediocre defenses.

on the road (aside from BAL), C.J. Stroud has faced the following pass defenses:

#28 CIN
#27 TEN
#26 JAX
#21 IND
#20 CAR
#19 ATL
…
#2 NYJ

the Jets game was in the rain but he averaged 4.0 YPA, 43.5% comp & took 4 sacks

HOU @ BAL PREVIEW & ANALYSIS:https://t.co/XNbWWX4VeZ

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 18, 2024

Ready to run through a brick wall yet? I am. I can’t sit here and type any more. I need to go run around in the snow with my kid or something.

LET’S GO. ONE. MORE. SLEEP.

The post OTL: Time to Destroy the Demons of 2019 appeared first on Russell Street Report.