TONY’S TAKE – A PREVIEW OF TEXANS-RAVENS

by Tony Fiorello

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 10: Owner Steve Bisciotti and his head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens speak to head coach DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans prior to the game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Welcome to the 2023 NFL season’s Divisional Round Weekend. Here at Buffalo Sports Page we will attempt to inform and educate our readers about the upcoming playoff games and what each team might do to emerge victorious.

One of the AFC’s divisional round games will take place at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland as the Houston Texans will face the Baltimore Ravens. Here’s what you should know:

HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 13: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans stands under center during an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium on January 13, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

TEXANS’ OFFENSE YOUTHFUL BUT EFFECTIVE

The Houston Texans are a much different squad now compared to the last time they reached the playoffs in 2019. Since Bill O’Brien was fired following 2020 they’ve gone through three head coaches, and after the disappointing tenures of David Culley and Lovie Smith it seems as if general manager Nick Caserio has finally gotten it right with ex-San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator (and former Texans linebacker) DeMeco Ryans.

Ryans has led the Texans to a surprising AFC South division title, the seventh in franchise history. He and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik have brought a system to Houston that worked for them by the Bay, and what also worked for them years ago under Gary Kubiak – the Shanahan-style of the West Coast offense. Slowik has used a playbook that emphasizes a running game built around zone-blocking (especially to the outside on “stretch” plays) and passes that are created off the threat of run-action. The system can create a lot of big plays down the field from craftily designed routes that work off one another, and the skill position players often line up in reduced splits to the line of scrimmage to become both extra blockers on runs and to have more room to run routes on the field.

No position has seen as much change in Houston than quarterback. Once led by one of the NFL’s best signal callers in Deshaun Watson, Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2022 following several legal problems and his successor has proven to be rookie C.J. Stroud. The former first-round pick from Ohio State has shown a good sense of timing, accuracy and patience in the pocket with solid mechanics and is a quick processor of coverages. He’s also athletic enough to make second-reaction plays and is cool under pressure. He’s also the youngest quarterback (22) and highest-drafted rookie (second overall) to win a playoff game, and he and Ryans became just the fifth rookie signal caller and head coach to make the playoffs.

The Texans have a solid one-two punch at running back in former Buffalo Bill Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce. Singletary, in particular, is underrated. A short, sturdy back who has good balance and vision, he can take a pounding between the tackles and is also capable of making plays in the passing game from time to time.

Executing blocks on the offensive line are former first-round pick Tytus Howard (out for the season with a knee injury), George Fant, Shaq Mason, Michael Deiter, Juice Scruggs and Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil is athletic and – aside from perhaps the 49ers’ Trent Williams – might be the league’s best offensive tackle in getting out to the perimeter to block for screens.

Stroud’s targets in the passing game are Nico Collins – who enjoyed a breakout year in his third NFL season – veteran Robert Woods (who still offers some value as a possession receiver and is a good blocker) and rookie Tank Dell (Dell is on the shelf with a broken leg). Additional wideouts who get playing time include John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson, and Houston’s tight end is ex-Dallas Cowboy Dalton Schultz.

Houston was 12th in total offense, seventh in passing, 23rd in rushing and 14th in points in 2023.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 13: Steven Nelson #21 of the Houston Texans runs back an interception to score a touchdown during an AFC wild-card playoff football game against the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium on January 13, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

HOUSTON’S DEFENSE ALSO UNDERGOING CHANGES

Like their counterparts on offense, the Texans’ defense is also missing numerous players and coaches who have helped the team in years past. Among others, J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney and Romeo Crennel are no longer there, and Ryans’ preference for the Cover Three scheme that he coached in San Francisco (with deep zone coverage from the outside cornerbacks, one safety patrolling centerfield and another near the line of scrimmage) has taken over in H-Town.

Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke’s pass rush is spearheaded by breakout end Jonathan Greenard, who paced the team in sacks with 12.5. He, along with rookie Will Anderson Jr., Jerry Hughes, Derek Barnett, Maliek Collins and Sheldon Rankins make up the main contributors on the Texans’ defensive line.

At linebacker Houston employs the well-traveled Denzel Perryman along with Blake Cashman and Christian Harris. On the back end, Derek Stingley Jr. is showing why he was a high first round draft pick in 2022 while veterans Steven Nelson and Desmond King II are the other cornerbacks. DeAndre Houston-Carson, Jalen Pitre, Kareem Jackson, Adrian Amos and the injured Jimmie Ward are Houston’s safeties.

The Texans ended 2023 14th in total yards, 23rd against the pass, sixth versus the run and 11th in points allowed. They were also 15th in sacks and tied for 16th in takeaways.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 31: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens drops back and looks to pass during an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

RAVENS WILL RUN, RUN AND RUN SOME MORE

Before the 2019 season began, longtime Ravens head coach John Harbaugh promoted former Bills and San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman to replace the outgoing Marty Mornhinweg. Roman was charged with maximizing the talent at his disposal and helped quarterback Lamar Jackson win the league’s Most Valuable Player award that same season (and he may win it again this year after helping Baltimore finish with a league-best 13-4 record).

Jackson is one of the most gifted quarterbacks in pro football. According to Bucky Brooks of nfl.com, “As a passer, Jackson has shown tremendous progress. He has significantly improved his completion rate and passer rating while displaying a better overall feel for the game from the pocket. He’s at his best throwing the ball down the seams or on in-breaking routes between the numbers on traditional dropbacks and play-action passes. Although he remains a work in progress on throws to the outside, the Ravens have built their offense around the strengths of his game and by allowing him to be himself.”

As much as Baltimore dominated on the ground through the years, however, the same couldn’t be said about their passing attack which was too easy to stop. This led to the ouster of Roman in favor of Todd Monken, a former play-caller in Tampa Bay and Cleveland who had helped the Georgia Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships at the college level.

Monken helps Jackson through clever usage of offensive sets, play-action and route concepts with defined reads in order to give him confidence right off the bat. Those passes are typically thrown to wide receivers like speedsters Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay and rookie Zay Flowers. Veterans Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor have provided depth and experience.

Used even more than their receivers are tight ends Mark Andrews (who can attack both the intermediate and vertical levels of defenses) and Isaiah Likely. Those two will be on the field at any given time, as the Ravens are one of the league leaders in usage of “12” (one back, two tight ends), “22” (two backs, two tight ends), “21” (two backs, one tight end) and “13” (one back, three tight ends) personnel. But they aren’t just weapons in the passing game – they’re also utilized heavily on the ground as blockers for Jackson and running backs Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Dalvin Cook, J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell (the latter two are done for the season with various injuries) and fullback Patrick Ricard.

Roman had experience working with mobile quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor and Colin Kaepernick and had previously installed successful concepts for both of his former signal-callers like sweeps, zone-read options, triple options, quarterback counters and RPOs. Jackson used those same ideas and took them to another level in 2019, as he shattered Michael Vick’s league record for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback and became the first passer in NFL history to run for more than 1,000 yards and throw for 35 or more touchdowns. Jackson continues to be one of the league’s most dangerous running threats with the same concepts as Monken has wisely kept many of their rushing schemes from the past.

The Ravens were also the first team to average 200 rushing and passing yards per game in one campaign and set a new standard for rushing yardage in a season with 3,296. 2020 saw many of the same results, as Jackson became the first signal caller to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive years and Baltimore also put up 3,071 yards – the first team ever to accumulate 3,000 yards on the ground in back-to-back years. 2021’s output wasn’t quite as good as in past years due to multiple injuries, but the Ravens are back to their old form again ending the 2022 campaign with 2,720 yards rushing (good for second-best in the NFL) and leading the league in rushing again in 2023.

Baltimore’s offensive line is characterized by man-blocking, pulling guards and power runs, and stalwarts Ronnie Stanley, Morgan Moses, Kevin Zeitler, John Simpson and Tyler Linderbaum are the team’s building blocks up front. Kicker Justin Tucker remains one of the league’s elite at his position.

In addition to their running prowess the Ravens’ offense has been solid in other areas this year. They were sixth in total yards and fourth in scoring, but just 21st in passing.

INGLEWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen (6) and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) combine to force a fumble from Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (30) during the NFL regular season game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers on November 26, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

BALTIMORE’S DEFENSE STILL A GOOD UNIT

Traditionally the more-discussed unit on their team thanks to legendary coaches and players on that side of the ball, Baltimore’s defense is being overshadowed for once. Not to be outdone by their counterparts on offense, the Ravens continue to have one of the better group of defenders in football – finishing 2023 sixth in total defense, first in sacks and points allowed, tied for first in takeaways, 14th against the run and seventh in defending the pass. They do all of this while blitzing at one of the highest rates in the league and mostly do so on overload and fire zone rushes out of single-high coverage looks.

Coordinated by Mike MacDonald, the Ravens have never been lacking in talent among their front seven and this year has been no exception. Defensive linemen Michael Pierce, Jadeveon Clowney and Justin Madubuike are solid run-stuffers (Madubuike has been a revelation in the pass rush department with 13.5 sacks) and veterans Odafe Oweh, Tyus Bowser (out with a torn Achilles tendon) and Kyle Van Noy are the team’s best outside linebackers. Patrick Queen and former Chicago Bear Roquan Smith are their inside linebackers and are one of the best duos in the NFL – they can cover and stop the run with ease out of multiple front looks – and rookie Trenton Simpson backs them up.

Baltimore’s secondary is as talented as ever, especially at cornerback. MacDonald has plenty of chess pieces at cornerback in Marlon Humphrey (who is adept at playing in the slot and on the boundary but out for Saturday with a calf ailment), Brandon Stephens and Ronald Darby. All can execute man and zone coverages well. Safeties Marcus Williams, Geno Stone and Kyle Hamilton are moved around often in pre-snap disguises and are used often in dime and “big” nickel packages – Hamilton is effective in the slot and is a good blitzer.