Ravens vs. Texans: 3 players Texans have no answer for

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes for a first down in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes for a first down in the third quarter against the Houston Texans 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: Mark Andrews #89 of the Baltimore Ravens catches a pass for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 13: Mark Andrews #89 of the Baltimore Ravens catches a pass for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

2. Mark Andrews

In the last meeting Andrews had four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. That was a game Andrews mistook his job as being an Olympic hurdler and it cost the Ravens on a fumble. Other than that, Andrews was unstoppable and arguably not used enough against the Texans. It only took him four grabs to put up 75 yards. He was a match up nightmare for the Texans last year and that didn’t magically change this offseason. Andrews is coming off a game with two touchdown grabs. Against the Browns he played like an elite tight end. When Andrews plays the way he did in the season opener, he’s the biggest weapon not named Jackson on the field.

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In the NFL Kickoff game the Texans surrendered six receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown against Travis Kelce. Andrews has the same kind of attributes as Kelce, the big frame, the great route running and the speed to outclass safeties and linebackers. Andrews is a match up nightmare for anybody, but especially for the Texans. In the season opener, the Texans showed that this kind of a player still poses a big problem for them. If the Ravens give him the amount of work he should merit in the passing game, Andrews could easily have a 100 yard performance.

What the Ravens should do in this game is to get Jackson going in the run game early. This will force the Texans to play more zone coverage. Andrews loves finding the windows in zone coverage and he’s so good at it that it almost isn’t fair. That being said it doesn’t really matter how the Ravens go about attacking the Texans. Houston doesn’t have an answer for Andrews. He’s one of the best players in the entire league and his connection with his MVP quarterback is off the charts.

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