Ravens Wear Down, Then Knock Out, Texans

The Ravens star quarterback exorcised his playoff demons and the team showed off its dominance on both sides of the line of scrimmage as the Ravens beat the Houston Texans, 34-10, to move on to next week’s AFC Championship Game.

It’s hard to overstate what a big game this was for the Ravens, and the team’s fans. A loss would have caused a need for some hard looks. An ugly win would have done little to answer questions from the outside, or within the walls of The Castle. A dominant win, like this one, keeps the good vibes rolling. And good vibes are always welcome this time of year.

Let’s look at some grades.

Offense

Overall: B

The team put up 34 points, 352 yards and rushed for an imposing 229 yards against a stingy rush defense. The only thing keeping this score from being a resounding “A” is the… well… how do I say this… the first half. It was bad — with four three-and-outs, including their final three possessions. The second half was terrific, both in producing 24 points and controlling the action with physicality and clutch plays.

Quarterback: A

Lamar Jackson was really good, completing 16-of-22 for 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns — good for a passer rating of 121.8. He also rushed for 100 yards and two more scores, and made big play after big play. The pass to Odell Beckham Jr. for 13 on the opening drive was an absolute dime, and he showed off his trademark agility and understanding of leverage to hit Nelson Agholor for the Ravens’ first touchdown of the game. His second touchdown pass displayed a feather touch as he gave Isaiah Likely a chance to “make a play.” The 14-yard run on fourth down in the third quarter was a clutch play, as was the throw to Zay Flowers on a late third-and-seven. His passing numbers were modest because the Ravens beat down the Texans in the second half with the rushing attack, but he was excellent whenever his number was called.

Running Backs: B

Justice Hill was good all game, rushing for 66 yards on 13 carries, and adding another 11 yards on two catches — when went back-to-back to get a big first down. Gus Edwards ran hard, as he typically does, and had 40 yards on 10 totes. Dalvin Cook excited the crowd with a 19-yard carry on his first touch.

Receivers: B

The Ravens only threw the ball 22 times, so they didn’t get a ton of opportunities, but they were good when they had the chance. Flowers had four catches for 41 yards, and Rashod Bateman looked good again, picking up 39 yards on three catches. Likely only had two catches, but he made them both count — one a touchdown catch where he “Mossed” a defender, and the other a punishing catch-and-run with one of his patented stiff arms. Agholor made a great adjustment on his touchdown catch, but had another one go through his hands on what would have been a tough grab.

Offensive Line: B

I thought they struggled a little in the first half with the Texans’ blitz — which was a bit out-of-character for Houston and appeared to catch the Ravens off guard. But they took over the game in the second half, leading a physical rush attack and giving Jackson more time to throw, particularly off play-action. Ronnie Stanley had a huge block on Jackson’s fourth-down run and looked effective much of the game. Morgan Moses helped spring Cook on his long carry. It appeared Kevin Zeitler struggled on a few reps int he first half, but he seemed to win over and over again in the second half. I thought they really shined in the second half, but can we reflect together on the false start on “Everybody but the center?”

Defense

Overall: A+

They absolutely dominated, especially in the second half, and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud actually impressed me a ton throughout this game. It’s odd when both of those things can be true. The Texans never got inside the Ravens 25-yard line. Not one time. The Texans had 213 yards of offense, averaged 2.7 yards per carry and only held the ball for 22:25. This defense was spectacular.

Defensive Line: A

The Ravens didn’t register a sack, but they were buzzing around Stroud the entire game, making him move off his mark seemingly every single pass. They were also great against the run, seemingly having a back in their arms before the line of scrimmage the vast majority of the time. I thought Jadeveon Clowney, Travis Jones, Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington all had standout games, and Michael Pierce made a big play to force an incompletion on third down in the first quarter. They won their battle all game, from whistle to whistle.

Linebackers: A

Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen were winning sideline to sideline, front to back. Smith had seven tackles, two of them for a loss — including a run in the third quarter that absolutely never had a prayer. Queen appeared to sustain an injury at one point, so we have to watch that one. Kyle Van Noy made a great play to destroy a run on third-and-1 in the second quarter.

Defensive Backs: A

This is how you have a dominant defensive performance — all three levels dominate. Arthur Maulet was one of the stars of the game, with four tackles, a blitz that forced an intentional-grounding flag and several others where he bothered Stroud. Ronald Darby was good in coverage, breaking up two passes, but also leaving the field at one point with an injury. Kyle Hamilton had a potential pick go through his hands, but also stood out for some impressive tackles. Marcus Williams had a diving pass break-up in the third quarter, and Geno Stone made a big play for a four-yard loss on a short pass. Brandon Stephens got beat on a third-and-long in the first half, and had a holding call, but he also made some big run stops.

Special Teams: C-

Giving up the punt return for a touchdown and that horrible 24-yard punt hurt this score, but there was also some good. Justin Tucker drilled a 53-yarder, and Devin Duvernay made a big play with his 37-yard kick return to start the second half. Maulet stood out here, too, with a nice kick return tackle in the second quarter.

Coaching: A-

Mike Macdonald is just really good at this. Can we all just appreciate the guy for as long as we have him? I felt like the Texans caught the Ravens a bit off guard at the start of the game, especially with their blitz-happy attack. But the Ravens made sound adjustments, switching to quick passes on first downs on their opening drive of the second half, and then pounding away at a tired Texans’ front as the game went on. I liked the aggression going for it on fourth down at the Texans’ 33-yard line up seven, as that is no “gimme” field goal in that cold air, and the defense was giving enough confidence to believe they were going to stop the Texans for as long as they needed to do it.

The challenge on the late fumble didn’t seem very smart, but, hey… can’t take them with you to the next game, right?

The post Ravens Wear Down, Then Knock Out, Texans appeared first on Russell Street Report.