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

3. Marlon Humphrey

Last season DeAndre Hopkins caught seven passes for 80 yards and no Texans receiver scored a touchdown. Hopkins had all but 52 of the Texans passing yards that went to receivers in that game. This year, Marlon Humphrey, one of the best cornerbacks in football, will focus on taking Will Fuller out of the game. Humphrey is a shut down cornerback who just made Odell Beckham Jr. a non factor a week ago. If the wide receiver position didn’t make an impact in this match up a year ago with a superstar talent, it will struggle to put a dent in the Baltimore defense this year. That’s just a simple logic equation.

Fuller has speed, but Humphrey is such a gifted cornerback and his tough and fundamentally sound play should win the day. Fuller had eight catches for over 100 yards against the Chiefs and much of it was when the game was already over. The lesson here is that Fuller is what should make this offense go, and if the Ravens slow him down they will limit the Texans offensively. Humphrey may just be the key to the whole game. If Fuller has less than five catches and isn’t near 100 yards, it’s hard to see how the Texans will have enough firepower to beat the Ravens.

The entire Ravens secondary is a boost in this match up. It doesn’t get any easier for Randall Cobb or Brandin Cooks. Marcus Peters, Tavon Young and Jimmy Smith all have match ups that should typically favor Baltimore.

With Humphrey the Ravens have an elite cornerback on a good receiver. The match up goes to the defense. Fuller is by far the favorite target of Deshaun Watson. Remember, Cobb and Cooks weren’t there last year. This is a team that misses Hopkins in the worst way. The Houston offense may get better as the season progresses and more chemistry is developed. For now, Watson wants it to be the Fuller show. He needs Fuller to be available and the Ravens have a player that should make him a missing target most of the game.