The 2025 NFL schedule release brought Baltimore Ravens fans several storylines, from a brutal opening stretch to a bizarrely baseball-like sequence of homestands and road trips. But buried beneath the prime-time matchups and revenge games is a compelling rookie-on-rookie battle set to unfold in Week 5.
Baltimore will host the Houston Texans in early October, and while the spotlight might be on Lamar Jackson vs. C.J. Stroud, there’s another duel worth watching in the trenches. That’s where Ravens second-round edge rusher Mike Green will square off against Texans rookie tackle Aireontae Ersery — assuming both are starting by then, which feels pretty likely.
Baltimore has dominated Houston in recent years, winning five straight matchups, including a 31-2 blowout on Christmas Day last year and a 34-10 win in the Divisional Round the year before. The Ravens’ defense overwhelmed the Texans in both games — and with Green now in the fold, they might have added another nightmare for Houston’s offensive line to deal with.
Mike Green’s speed and bend make him a nightmare test for fellow rookie Aireontae Ersery
Bleacher Report’s Damian Parson pegged the matchup as one of the most exciting rookie battles of the first half of the season, and it’s easy to see why. Both players were Day 2 picks who could’ve easily gone higher, and now they’re set to collide in one of the league’s more underrated battles.
For the Ravens, it’s about seeing if Green can live up to the expectations that made him a borderline top-15 talent before off-field concerns knocked him down the board. For Houston, it’s about protecting C.J. Stroud—and finally putting some reliable protection in front of their franchise quarterback.
Green is the type of rusher who can give Ersery trouble thanks to his first-step quickness and elite bend/agility to get underneath his punches. Stroud was on the run more constantly last season, which led to the departures of multiple coaches and offensive linemen this offseason.
Baltimore will use Green as part of a deep rotation that includes Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, David Ojabo, and Tavius Robinson, but he’s expected to be a major contributor right away. Green led the FBS in sacks last year at Marshall and now gets to work with pass rush specialist Chuck Smith in a system built to rotate bodies and let athletes cook.
Ersery, meanwhile, is a mauler with positional flexibility. He might still be in a camp battle with Cam Robinson, but if he wins the job, he’ll be thrown straight into the fire. The Texans allowed far too many pressures in 2024 and were aggressive in fixing that this offseason. Whether Ersery is ready or not, Green’s explosiveness and violent hand usage will put him to the test.
It might not get the same attention as the quarterbacks, but Green vs. Ersery has the makings of a tone-setting clash for both teams.