The Houston Texans lost their first game of the 2012 season, falling on the national stage to the Green Bay Packers last week. The loss only hurts the Texans as they prepare to grab home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, as the division is seemingly theirs for the taking. This week the top record in the AFC is up for grabs, as the Texans host the one-loss Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are fresh off a two-point win over the Dallas Cowboys and are on the verge of running away with the AFC North, much like the Texans are going to run away with the AFC South. This has the making of a knockdown, drag out game in Houston, especially with the physical nature of both teams.
THE GAME
The Texans and the Ravens are two teams that pride themselves on defense, but are winning with offense. The Ravens have improved in virtually every offensive category in 2012, and the reason lies with the play of quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco is managing the Ravens offense masterfully in 2012, and the end result has been a much better Ray Rice and an overall better offense. The Ravens average over 26 points per game in 2012, and have dropped 30 or more in three of the six games. The same could be said about the Houston Texans. Houston has a dynamic defense, but it has been the play of Matt Schaub and Arian Foster that has the Houston faithful thinking Super Bowl in 2012. Schaub and the Texans rank third in the league averaging over 28 points per game, to go along with a ground attack that averages over 134 yards per game. With injuries to both teams on the defensive side of the ball, the offenses for the teams could be key moving forward if both look to fulfill the Super Bowl dreams.
WHAT TO WATCH
Prominent defensive injuries will rule the storylines in this one, as the Ravens bid farewell to linebacker Ray Lewis for the remainder of the 2012 season, while the Texans played their first game without linebacker Brian Cushing last week, as Cushing is also lost for the season. Both defensive leaders will now be cheering from the sideline, which leaves major voids for both teams. Despite the injuries, both defenses are still very good, but the Texans didn’t show that last week against the Packers. The Houston defense allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw six touchdowns and torch the Houston defense for 338 yards. The Texans could not get pressure on Rodgers, sacking him only twice, despite going up against an offensive line that has been scrutinized this season for failing to protect its quarterback. Houston needs to find a way to pressure the quarterback on Sunday against Baltimore if it wants to avoid a second-straight loss.
PREDICTION
The Texans are seven-point favorites against the Ravens, which seems rather high, especially with Houston coming off a thrashing to the hands of the Green Bay Packers. The Ravens are good, but with the injuries sustained on the defensive side of the ball, some are wondering if they are still that dominant defense. The Texans have defensive issues of their own, as they failed to slow down Green Bay last week. The Texans should be the favorite, especially since it is at home. But don’t be shocked if the Ravens come in and hand Houston its second-consecutive loss.