Ball control or let loose? Ravens foil both plans
There are several ways the Texans can approach Sunday’s game at Baltimore that features first-place teams trying to win their divisions.
One Ravens’ opponent controlled the ball for 36 minutes, 11 seconds and limited their leagueleading running game to 136 yards — 68 fewer than Baltimore’s average.
That team was Cincinnati, and the Ravens obliterated the Bengals 49-13 on Sunday without scoring a point in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and ran for another while the defense scored on interception and fumble returns.
That conquest of the Bengals boosted the Ravens’ scoring to 38.6 points over their last three games. Baltimore leads the NFL in scoring with 300 points, a 33.3 average.
Unlike the Texans, the Ravens are fast starters accustomed to playing with leads. They’ve outscored opponents 85-24 in the first quarter. The Texans are used to playing from behind. They’re getting outscored 48-23 in the first quarter.
The Ravens are a scoring machine, and it doesn’t matter what level of competition they’re going against. Before the Ravens pounded the Bengals, they won 30-16 at Seattle and 37-20 over New England at home.
The two teams that actually beat the Ravens simply outscored them — Kansas City 33-28 and Cleveland 40-25. Cleveland?
Yes, Cleveland.
After shocking the Ravens in Baltimore, the Browns lost four consecutive games before ending their losing streak against Buffalo on Sunday.
After being stunned by the Browns, the Ravens went on a five-game winning streak they’ll try to extend to six against the Texans.
“The Ravens are one of the best teams in the NFL for a lot of different reasons,” coach Bill O’Brien said Monday. “It starts, obviously, with their players and coaches.”
Coach John Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale have done exceptional jobs helping the Ravens build a two-game lead over Pittsburgh in the AFC North and compete for home-field advantage in the playoffs.
“They do a great job,” O’Brien said. “They’ve got good schemes. Their defense has always been good. Their offense is very difficult to prepare for. They do a lot of different things, different option-type plays, play-action plays, running plays. They just have a lot of different ways to come at you.”
Harbaugh, Roman and Martindale will be saying the same things about the Texans this week. Like Jackson, Deshaun Watson is a bona-fide MVP candidate.
Watson has thrown for 2,432 yards, completed 70.8 percent, has 18 touchdown passes, five interceptions, a 107.1 rating and five touchdowns rushing.
Jackson has thrown for 2,036 yards, completed 65.9 percent, has 15 touchdown passes, five interceptions, a 101.7 rating and six touchdowns rushing.
“He’s impressive, very instinctive and smart,” O’Brien said. “He has great command of their offense. He’s very competitive, and he can do it all. He’s a great runner and a great thrower. He’s an MVP candidate for a reason. They’re doing a great job scheming their offense, and he and his teammates are executing at a high level.”
The Texans’ offense is playing at a high level, too. They’ve got to keep it up if they hope to leave Baltimore with an upset victory.
O’Brien calls the plays. He can try to use his running game that averages 142.8 yards to control the ball and keep Jackson on the bench. Or he can let Watson try to outscore Jackson in a shootout.
“It’s important to have balance,” O’Brien said. “You have to do what’s best for the team as the game’s going. How’s it going in the running game (and) the passing game? It’s important to establish balance because (it’s) tough on a defense when they’re not sure whether it’s going to be a run or a pass.”
O’Brien has a running game built around Carlos Hyde, Duke Johnson and Watson that should be able to generate yards and take some pressure off Watson when he retreats to pass. But they could run into a roadblock because Baltimore is good against the run, surrendering 91.2 yards a game.
If O’Brien wants to win by placing the burden on Watson, nobody will be surprised. The Texans shouldn’t freak out about strategy just because they haven’t faced an offense like Baltimore’s.
O’Brien should just turn Watson loose as a runner and passer like he always does.
“He means so much to this team,” O’Brien said. “I think about his ability to manage the offense, manage the games, be so coachable, his poise, his playmaking ability, his ability to escape (and) his ability to get kicked in the eye and throw a touchdown pass. I could list a hundred things. He’s a great player, and we love coaching him.”
And the Texans are going to need Watson more than ever. The Baltimore game is the first of three in a row that’ll gauge just how good the Texans will be. Prime-time games at NRG Stadium against Indianapolis and New England follow Baltimore.
“As soon as you put the Ravens’ film on, it doesn’t take a long time to focus on the Ravens,” O’Brien said. “We’re very focused on the Ravens.”