Watt gets chance to stop QB
Defensive end was injured when Jackson ran away with a big victory
HOUSTON — Quarterback Lamar Jackson is trying to accomplish for Baltimore what Patrick Mahomes achieved for Kansas City last season — win a Super Bowl one year after being voted the NFL’S Most Valuable Player Award.
And being rewarded with a record-breaking contract, of course.
After getting demolished at Kansas City in their first game, the Texans return to NRG Stadium to play the Ravens.
The Texans couldn’t stop Jackson last season when the Ravens defeated them 41-7 at M&T Bank Stadium. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn’t intercepted, and he finished with a 139.2 rating. He also ran 10 times for 79 yards.
The Ravens set an NFL record with 3,296 yards rushing. Only five running backs accumulated more yards rushing than Jackson, who didn’t play in the last game because they already had secured the top seed in the playoffs.
In the Texans’ loss at Baltimore, the Ravens generated 491 yards, including 256 rushing. Beginning with that Baltimore game and continuing through the Kansas City loss, the Texans are allowing 164 yards rushing.
Three days after the Texans started the season 0-1, the Ravens ransacked Cleveland, 38-6. Jackson connected on 20 of 25 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. His rating was 152.1. He led the team with 45 yards on seven carries.
This week, it’s up to new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver to see if he can devise a plan that might do a reasonable job of containing Jackson, something few teams have been able to execute in regular season.
Defensive end J.J. Watt has watched a lot of tape of the Ravens, and he’s seen them on television, but this is his first time confronting Jackson. Watt sat out last year’s game recovering from surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, so the closest he got to Jackson was his big screen television.
“He can do it all,” Watt said Wednesday on a Zoom conference call. “He can do a lot of great things with his feet and his quickness and speed and his ability to move around. But he’s got the ability to stand in the pocket and throw the ball.”
Jackson has an impressive group of teammates on offense — tight end Mark Andrews, receiver Hollywood Brown and running back Mark Ingram II, to name three. All are excellent receivers.
Jackson operates behind a terrific offensive line that’s led by left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The linemen know how to pass protect and run block. They played an instrumental role in Jackson throwing 36 touchdown passes and rushing for 1,206 yards – an NFL record for a quarterback – and seven more touchdowns.
“You have to try to defend both of those things with an equal level of excellence (and) it’s extremely difficult,” Watt said about Jackson as a passer and runner. “It’s a great challenge.
“Obviously, we’re going to watch the film from last season and watch the film from (Sunday), and we’re going to learn and compete and look forward to the challenge.”
Watt knows watching Jackson on tape is a lot different than defending him in person. No quarterback plays faster than Jackson or has more success as a dual-threat quarterback.
Coach Bill O’brien was asked Wednesday if there’s an advantage to having played a game against Jackson rather than going against him for the first time.
“I don’t think there’s a big advantage,” he said. “First of all, when you talk about him, he’s got a very unique skill set. Obviously, he’s very fast, very quick. Over time, he’s become a better passer, a very accurate passer.”
The Ravens started 2-2 in 2019 before winning their last 12 games. Then, in a 28-12 home loss to Tennessee in the divisional round of the playoffs, the Titans showed they could lose the statistical battle but win the war by 16 points. That’s the kind of script the Texans need to write.
Baltimore stockpiled 530 yards against the Titans. Jackson completed 31 of 59 passes for 365 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 20 times for 143 yards.
Running back Derrick Henry got a lot of welldeserved recognition for his role in Tennessee’s victory, but the Titans’ defense was resourceful and just as responsible for them reaching the AFC Championship Game, where Tennessee lost at Kansas City.
The Titans forced three turnovers. They scored two touchdowns after Jackson was intercepted and lost a fumble. They also stopped Jackson twice on fourthand-1 runs and took advantage by scoring touchdowns. That’s all 28 points after outstanding plays by the defense.
Can a Texans defense that was trampled by the Ravens last season and the Chiefs last week pull off that kind of performance against Jackson by forcing turnovers and making big-time plays in crucial situations?
“He does a really good job using all the people around him,” O’brien said. “They have a great scheme. I just think he’s a great player.”
But even great players can be beaten. In Jackson’s case, that hasn’t happened very often. The Titans provided a blueprint in January. Now it’s the Texans’ turn to see if they’re up to the challenge.