LAMAR JACKSON SPARKLES; DESHAUN WATSON SPUTTERS.
Rout in matchup of first-place teams, star QBs defies explanation
BALTIMORE — In a game featuring first-place teams and dynamic young quarterbacks who entered as MVP candidates, the Texans were so pathetic against the Baltimore Ravens it almost defied explanation.
In suffering an embarrassing 41-7 defeat that was the secondworst loss of Bill O’Brien’s six seasons as coach, the Texans showed the stage was too big for them. They wilted under the white-hot spotlight, overcome by the pressure of a game that attracted so much national attention it felt like the playoffs.
The Texans had two weeks to prepare for the Ravens. Imagine how bad it would have been if they didn’t have that extra week. Led by quarterback Lamar Jackson’s four touchdown passes and a defense that recorded seven sacks, the Ravens improved to 8-2 and established themselves as a bona-fide Super Bowl contender.
From O’Brien and his assistants to Deshaun Watson and his teammates, the Texans laid an egg so rotten they’ll have to fumigate M&T Bank Stadium before fans can return.
The Texans dropped to 6-4 and into a first-place tie in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts, who visit NRG Stadium on Thursday night. They can find comfort in knowing they share the blame for this wretched performance across the board — offense, defense, special teams and coaching.
Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel had a game plan that worked for 15 minutes. There was no score after the first quarter, typical for the slow-starting Texans but surprising for the fast-starting Ravens.
Then the Ravens opened the floodgates and poured it on, with Jackson throwing his first two touchdown passes for a 14-0 halftime lead. The defense needed a better second half but couldn’t provide it. Jackson finished the first drive of the third quarter with his third touchdown pass to make it 21-0.
Jackson got off to a slow start. He was 1-of-5 for 12 yards in the first quarter. But he recovered to become the first quarterback in Ravens history to throw at least four touchdown passes two times in a season.
“I like that stat,” Jackson said afterward. “I’d rather throw them than run them.”
The Texans had one sack by Brennan Scarlett. Jackson, who completed 13 in a row at one point, finished with a 139.2 rating.
“We didn’t start off well, and it gave him time to get adjusted,” O’Brien said about another dud first quarter by his offense. “We tried to adjust, but we just didn’t do enough. Once he got going, he really got going. He did a great job.”
The defense became another victim of Jackson’s spectacular running ability. He ran nine times for 86 yards, a 9.6-yard average that included a 39-yard run.
“He made a lot of plays with his legs,” Johnathan Joseph said. “He made a couple of good throws. He did what he was supposed to do. He played winning football. He was as good as advertised, and I tip my hat to the kid.”
Jackson has a 14-3 regularseason record. This season, he led the Ravens to a 30-16 victory at Seattle and a 37-20 home win over New England. He’s now defeated Russell Wilson, Tom Brady and Watson.
“He keeps one-upping himself each week,” said running back Mark Ingram, who caught two touchdown passes. “He’s such a special player, and he’s only going to get better.”
Which is scary for opponents because Jackson is 22 and in his second season. He has 19 touchdown passes, five interceptions and a 106.3 rating.
“He made some great plays with arm and his legs,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He also made some great plays with his mind. He’s so locked in, so focused on the details. He’s playing at a very high level.”
So was the Ravens’ offense over the last three quarters.
Their offensive line protected Jackson and opened holes for a running game that just trampled the Texans’ defense.
The Texans went into the game ranked third against the run, surrendering 84.1 yards. They hadn’t allowed an opponent to rush for 100 yards since Jacksonville had 104 in the second game.
They hadn’t allowed an opposing player to rush for 100 since Frank Gore did it with Indianapolis in the last game of 2017.
Baltimore generated 263 yards on 36 carries, a 7.3-yard average. Gus Edwards, who backs up Ingram, had a 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that gave him 112 on eight carries.
The Texans were well-prepared for the Ravens’ run, especially Jackson, but, as just about every defender said, they didn’t execute. In other words, they got steamrolled. Trying to tackle Jackson was like trying to bring down a greased pig.
“Plays break down, and he gets outside the pocket,” D.J. Reader said. “He’s tough to tackle. Most quarterbacks don’t have the speed he does. We just didn’t compete the way we wanted to.”
The only saving grace for the Texans is knowing they have to quickly put the stench of this performance behind them in a hurry. The Colts are coming to town for a nationally televised prime-time game. There’s no rest for a weary defense that goes from Jackson to Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Thursday night.
In the Colts’ 30-23 victory over the Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in October, Brissett threw a career-high four touchdown passes — the same as Jackson — and ran his record against them to 4-0. The Texans have to improve in a hurry, or Brissett’s record against them will remain unblemished.