Ravens game big stage for O’Brien

QBs Watson and Jackson have a lot at stake, but coach can earn some respect with road win

So much national attention is being focused on the Texans’ game at Baltimore that the winning quarterback — Deshaun Watson or Lamar Jackson — should emerge as the strongest candidate behind Seattle’s Russell Wilson for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.

Recognition for winning a game of this magnitude isn’t reserved just for the quarterbacks. Imagine what a victory can do for Bill O’Brien’s reputation.

O’Brien gets more respect nationally than locally. Coaching the

Texans to their first victory at M&T Bank Stadium might quiet — until the next game at least — the legion of O’Brien critics who believe he has too many flaws to be a great coach and isn’t capable of leading his team to a Super Bowl.

The anti-O’Brien faction believes defeats are his fault and victories should be attributed to the players, especially Watson, and they’re not going to change their minds unless the Texans win a Super Bowl. And even that might not do it.

Winning a game of this magnitude between first-place teams competing for division titles and home-field advantage in the playoffs might show that this is a special season in which O’Brien is doing his best coaching job.

The Ravens are favored by 4½ points. They’re 7-2, one game behind New England in the standings but tied in the race for home

field advantage in the playoffs because they beat the Patriots 37-20 and own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Obviously, this is a big game for the Ravens, too.

The Texans are 6-3 and leading the AFC South by one game over Indianapolis. They’re trying to win a division title for the fourth time in O’Brien’s six seasons.

Winning another AFC South title isn’t going to be enough for Texans fans. They see O’Brien’s 1-3 playoff record and a wildcard victory over Oakland against a third-string rookie quarterback as proof that he’s not a good coach. They point to last season’s playoff debacle against Indianapolis at NRG Stadium as further proof of O’Brien’s inadequacy.

On what should be a cold, cloudy afternoon in downtown Baltimore, O’Brien is coaching against John Harbaugh, one of the best in the business. And yet fans and media wanted Harbaugh fired last season when the Ravens started 4-5 and were in danger of missing the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.

It didn’t matter that Harbaugh had only one losing record in his first 11 seasons or that he led the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory. His shelf life was supposed to be up, and it was time for a change.

One reason the Ravens are a model franchise that has only one losing season under Harbaugh and is 10-6 in the playoffs — second to Bill Belichick, by the way — is because of their remarkable stability. The Ravens don’t panic or cave in to demands of fans and media.

When Joe Flacco was injured last season, Harbaugh turned to rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, and the Ravens finished 6-1 and won their first AFC North title since 2012 before losing to the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs.

It was such an impressive turnaround with a unique quarterback that Harbaugh was rewarded with a four-year extension. Now he’s a coach-ofthe-year candidate one season after fans wanted him fired.

O’Brien has endured a lot of criticism, sometimes warranted other times not, but he’s capitalized on a young quarterback, just as Harbaugh is doing. O’Brien spends a lot of time coaching Watson. He oversees the game plan and calls the plays.

This season, O’Brien got what he’s coveted ever since he came to Houston in 2014 — control of personnel. As the general manager without the title, he’s acquired eight players in trades.

O’Brien has solidified left tackle with Laremy Tunsil, built the NFL’s fourth-best running game with Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson, elevated the speed at wide receiver with Kenny Stills, and enhanced depth at cornerback with Gareon Conley and Keion Crossen. At some point, the coaches expect outside linebacker Jacob Martin to contribute more as a pass rusher.

Because the Texans’ game against the Ravens isn’t in prime time, it won’t get as much attention as the next two at home against Indianapolis and New England.

Just think about all the recognition the players will receive and the credit O’Brien will get if the Texans can defeat the Ravens before they play back-toback, nationally televised games in prime time.

The thing about the primetime games is the hype that goes into the pregame and postgame shows that last hours on ESPN and the NFL Network. Play and coach well in victories, and you’re celebrated coast to coast. Play and coach poorly, and you slip onto the backburner, forgotten until the next game and a chance for redemption.

Sunday’s game is the Texans’ first in the most important stretch of the season against three consecutive opponents that currently have winning records and a combined record of 20-7.

What a great opportunity for the Texans, Watson and O’Brien. They know that if they want to be recognized as the best, they have to beat the best.

Are they capable of defeating the Ravens? Of course. Will they? Tune in to see.