Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans week 2 round table

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens and Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans exchange jerseys following the Ravens win at M&T Bank Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens and Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans exchange jerseys following the Ravens win at M&T Bank Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 13: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on after the game against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 13: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on after the game against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Darin McCann:

Let’s start out with this: Deshaun Watson is a really good quarterback. He was a star at Clemson, and he has carried that over to the National Football League. This is without dispute. What is also beyond argument is that JJ Watt is a Hall-of-Famer who can still cause problems for opponents, and tackle Laremy Tunsil is a good-to-great left tackle, albeit with some penalty issues from time to time.

That being said, the Ravens are a better team. They have a better offense, a better defense, better special teams, better coaching, and a front office that appears to be from a different dimension than the decision-makers in Houston. That is not saying the Texans are bad. I actually think they are a formidable team.

I just don’t see how they beat the Ravens without the Baltimore boys having a horrific performance, or Watson goes off for 500 yards, with five touchdowns. That can happen. Anything can happen. Heck, I once ate at a salad bar when an entire menu of red meat was at my disposal.

But it ain’t happening this week. And I ain’t eating a salad when I watch this game.

Related Story. 3 factors for Ravens against the Texans. light

The Cleveland Browns boast one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL and they did an admirable job against the vaunted Ravens run defense. I just don’t see the Texans being on that level, and I think the Ravens will gash them up the middle, assuming Matt Skura is a week better and rookie Tyre Phillips builds off a pretty impressive debut. I also think Lamar Jackson shouldn’t have too many problems with the Texans’ pass defense, assuming he makes the right decisions — and he usually does just that.

This feels like one of those games where the Ravens won’t jump out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, but will instead just grow a lead consistently throughout the game by limiting the Texans’ offense and being efficient on offense.

Bold predictions
• Mark Ingram gets on track and breaks the century mark, on only 16 carries. There will be one of those 40-plus-yard gains early in the game.

• Patrick Queen misses a few gaps and overruns a cutback run or two but will register his second sack of the season in just his second game. Watson holds the ball a lot, and Queen is a heat-seeking missile. That = sack.

• Jackson hits Boykin on a big-gainer — let’s say more than 50-yards. Shoot, let’s get crazy. Boykin tops 75-yards on the game and gets a score. He looked like a much more confident player last week to me.

Final score: 34-20, Ravens