Now that the Baltimore Ravens know that they will be facing the Houston Texans, it is time to break down the matchups and see how the Ravens stack up. While the Ravens will be favorites, there are a lot of positives to the Texans right now.
Who are some players on the Texans that are going to push the Ravens the most?
3. The Baltimore Ravens offensive tackles will be tested
The Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle situation will remain the biggest question for this team as they head into the final games before the Super Bowl. The Ravens have been very cautious with their tackles, who are both trying to get to 100% health. Since the bye week, neither has played a full game. Both will platoon out for a series or two each half.
This has allowed Daniel Faalele to get work at right tackle and Patrick Mekari on the left side. There is a question as to whether this will continue in the playoffs, considering neither Morgan Moses nor Ronnie Stanley has played a full game in over a month.
More than that, this is a tough test to jump right into. They draw a trip of rushers between rookie Will Anderson, Jonathan Greenard, and Derek Barnett, who are all playing good football. Barnett has been great since being added to the Eagles. Greenard leads the group in sacks and just got healthy last week, while Anderson is the former number-two overall pick and likely defensive rookie of the year.
Anderson beat Moses a few times in week one, and Greenard got the better of Ronnie Stanley for a sack as well. These two have been playing better since then, and they added Barnett while the Ravens' tackles have slowly gotten worse. The advantage points to Houston. Can the Ravens tackles step up?
2. Will the Baltimore Ravens follow Nico Collins?
The Baltimore Ravens have a big question at cornerback entering the AFC Divisional round. The Houston Texans have one wide receiver who can make things tough. Nico Collins has been dominant in recent weeks, and just last game, he torched the Cleveland Browns' talented secondary.
At times, the Ravens' secondary has played better than Cleveland, but they also have some issues. First, Marlon Humphrey has a calf injury that may make him questionable for this game. At the very least, it will make them hesitate to have him follow Collins. So, Brandon Stephens will get him for most of the game.
Stephens had a bad game against Brandon Aiyuk in the Ravens dominant win over the 49ers. He missed week 18, and while he played well in week 18, it was Mason Rudolph in the rain.
Now, Stephens sees Nico Collins, a similar style of receiver to Aiyuk, and CJ Stroud, one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL. The Texans offensive coordinator is also from the 49ers coaching tree. They will test Brandon Stephens this week. Will Stephens step up?
1. The Baltimore Ravens need their wide receivers to step up
The Houston Texans' passing defense has been a sore spot for them at times, but it is starting to click at the right time. A lot of that comes down to the return of Derek Stingley. Stingley missed weeks three through nine this season. After shaking the rust off in week 10, Stingley has ranked second best in coverage grade across the NFL since week 11. He has five interceptions, six pass breakups, and nine forced incompletions.
Now, the question is whether he will follow Odell Beckham or not. Zay Flowers moves around a lot, and Beckham has been the big play threat on the outside. If they shut down Beckham in a one-on-one, they can get the extra brackets onto Zay Flowers. This would help their secondary immensely.
Odell Beckham has been great in recent weeks, but they have played him sparingly as well to keep him healthy. Does he get a full game, and does he get unleashed for the playoffs, or is there not another gear like there once was? We will find out on Sunday for sure.