When the Baltimore Ravens take on the Houston Texans the expectation is for the Ravens to win. The Texans are on the road and starting a rookie quarterback. The Ravens have the better roster, and John Harbaugh has a long track record of success against quarterbacks without much experience.
Houston Texans place Tytus Howard on the IR
Still, when you look at the Texans offensive line, that is about all you need to know to think the Ravens have the advantage. The Houston Texans placed Tytus Howard on the IR, meaning that he will miss four games. Howard is their starting right tackle and a good one.
This comes after the Houston Texans already placed Kenyon Green and Juice Scruggs on the IR. Green was slated to start at left guard, while Scruggs was the starting center on paper. So, just compared to a month ago, the Houston Texans have lost their starting left guard, center, and right tackle. They also lost David Quessenberry, who was supposed to fill in for one of those interior spots.
The Houston Texans have George Fant, and as far as backup tackles go, he is a solid one. Along the interior, it sounds like rookie sixth-round pick Jarrett Patterson will start at center. Meanwhile, both Kendrick Green and Josh Jones are competing at left guard. Green was traded from Pittsburgh a week or two ago, while the Texans acquired Jones from the Arizona Cardinals around the same time.
So, a backup tackle, a rookie center selected on day three, and a guard who was not on the roster a month ago and was not wanted by the team they were on are what will fill this offensive line. Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason are solid names, but this is too much to ask for this young Texans team on the road.
The Baltimore Ravens need to walk out of week one with a win. Across the defensive line, they need to find success from Travis Jones to Michael Pierce, Broderick Washington, Justin Madubuike, Jadeveon Clowney, David Ojabo, and Odafe Oweh all need to find moments against this banged-up unit.