Texans vs. Ravens prediction, odds, spread, injuries, trends for NFL Week 1
The Ravens went 10-7 last season, but can they get off to strong start in 2023?
By Josh Yourish
Not only did the Baltimore Ravens make it to the playoffs with Lamar Jackson only playing 12 games, but they were a 99-yard fumble recovery TD from Sam Hubbard away from beating the Cincinati Bengals in Cincinnati in the Wild Card round with Tyler Huntley at quarterback.
Despite that success and a 10-7 season, the Ravens fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and replaced him with Todd Monken for a pass-first offense.
It took a bigger overhaul for the 3-13-1 Houston Texans who hired DeMeco Ryans as their new head coach and drafted CJ Stroud at No. 2 and Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3 overall.
It’s going to look different this year in both places, so it’ll be an interesting matchup to watch in Baltimore in Week 1. I’ll give you my pick, but first you should take advantage of this great promo from the FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Now, let’s get right into the odds.
Texans vs. Ravens odds, spread and total
BetSided's NFL betting analyst Iain MacMillan made a pick for this game and all 16 matchups in Week 1!
Ravens vs. Texans betting trends
- Ravens went 8-9-1 ATS in 2022
- The UNDER went 12-6 in Baltimore’s games in 2022
- Texans went 8-8-1 ATS in 2022
- The UNDER went 10-7 in Houston’s games in 2022
Texans vs. Ravens injury reports
Texans injury report
- Juice Scruggs C: IR (leg)
- Kenyon Green G: IR (shoulder)
- Tytus Howard OT: Questionable (hand)
Ravens injury report
- Mark Andrews TE: Questionable (undisclosed)
- Marlon Humphrey CB: Questionable (undisclosed)
- David Ojabo LB: Questionable (undisclosed)
Texans vs. Ravens How to Watch
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 10
- Game Time: 1:00 PM EST
- Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Texans Record: 0-0
- Ravens Record: 0-0
Texans vs. Ravens key players to watch
Texans
CJ Stroud: The No. 2 pick in the NFL draft, Stroud was also the second QB taken, behind Bryce Young. He compiled a great career at Ohio State, but spent his two years as their starting quarterback throwing to; Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr.
That’s three first-round picks and two future first-rounders. The Texans will need him to elevate a much less talented wide receiver corps.
Ravens
Odell Beckham Jr: We haven’t seen OBJ since the first half of Super Bowl 56, but now at 30-years-old he has a new home in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. If the Ravens are going to convert to a pass-first offense with Lamar, then OBJ will need to be a quality player again.
Baltimore has added a lot at receiver, but it has also put a lot of eggs in the OBJ basket.
Texans vs. Ravens Prediction and Pick
I’m not so sure how the Baltimore Ravens offense is going to look with Todd Monken as the offensive coordinator. Lamar Jackson is a talented passer, so I’m not worried about him limiting what they can do offensively, but I am worried about the rest of the roster construction around him gelling right away.
The Ravens were built for years to bully teams in the running game and now they’re converting to a much more spread out system and I’m not sure they have the personnel to hit the ground running.
This transition is going to take some time, so I’m fading the Baltimore offense early in the year. I think they’ll be great by November, but these changes take time and the under hit in 12 of their 18 games last season in a system they were familiar with.
Odell Beckham Jr. Rashod Bateman, and Zay Flowers are the best trio at receiver that Jackson has ever had, so it is going to work eventually.
I think it might take even longer for the Texans to get going offensively with a rookie QB and injuries to the offensive line. Mike McDonald, Baltimore’s DC excelled using simulated pressure last season.
That way he was able to confuse a quarterback and an offensive line with the allusion of pressure and still get home with four pass-rushers. With Ojabo’s injury and the lack of depth at outside linebacker I do have concerns about their pass-rush this season, but not in Week 1. I love the under.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change