Normally when you hear the struggling Houston Texans are facing Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens, you expect another “L” for the H-Town footballers.
Rolling into Sunday, the Ravens are without their phenomenal signal caller due to injury expected to keep him out 2-3 weeks.
Derrick Henry, 1 touchdown away from 5th all time in ground scoring, is finally showing signs of age.
Other than the last 20 minutes of the Texans shutout of the Tennessee Titans last weekend, their season has been nothing short of wildly disappointing.
But, was the spark Houston found on Sunday enough to ignite a fire that carries them back for a 3rd straight AFC South Division Title? Or, was it merely the BESFs collapsing into the trash heap of terrible pro sports franchises?
The Ravens are normally known for having a very stingy defense. However, so far in 2025 they’re in the basement, ranking 4th from the bottom in air yards allowed with 1084. They’ve given up 9 passing touchdowns in 4 games, ranking them 3rd from the bottom. First downs? They’ve surrendered 54, also 3rd worst.
When it comes to getting it home against the pass, Baltimore only has 3 sacks so far, compared to Houston’s 11. And, just 1 lone interception.
They aren’t much better against the run, watching opposing backs gain a collective 565 yards and 7 touchdowns.
If Houston’s new offensive coordinator Nick Caley is ever going to prove he deserves a seat at the grown-up table, this is it. Take out an underperforming Raven’s defense, in Baltimore, and a lot of doubters might quiet down.
Either way, despite what many think after a superficial glance, this is a very winnable game for the Houston Texans.
To accentuate the focus on defense, none other than Houston’s favorite defender, J.J. Watt is color commentary for this one.
* TEXANS recorded 3rd shutout in franchise history last week & 1st since 2010.
* QB C.J. STROUD completed 22 of 28 atts. (season-high 78.6 pct.) & set season highs in TD passes (2), pass yards (233) & rating (125.1) with 0 INTs last week, 4th-career game with 125+ rating. Has 95+ rating in 2 of past 3.
* RB WOODY MARKS led team with career-high 119 scrimmage yards (69 rush, 50 rec.) & had 1st 2 career TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) last week, becoming 1st Texans rookie ever with 100+ scrimmage yards, rush TD & rec. TD in a game. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in 2 of past 3. Ranks 5th among rookie RBs with 209 scrimmage yards (113 rush, 96 rec.) this season.
* RB NICK CHUBB had 62 scrimmage yards (47 rush, 15 rec.) last week & has 60+ scrimmage yards in 3 of 4 games this season. Had 107 scrimmage yards (91 rush, 16 rec.) & rush TD in his last game at Bal. (10/23/22 w/ Cle.).
* WR NICO COLLINS led team with 79 rec. yards in Week 4. Aims for 4th in row with 50+ rec. yards & 3rd in row with 75+ rec. yards. Has TD catch in 2 of past 3. Has 55+ rec. yards in each of 3 career games vs. Bal., incl. playoffs.
* WR CHRISTIAN KIRK had 114 rec. yards in only career game at Bal. (9/15/19 w/ Ari.).
* WR JAYDEN HIGGINS (rookie) had 1st-career TD catch last week.
* TE DALTON SCHULTZ aims for 3rd in row with 5+ catches.
* DE DANIELLE HUNTER had 2 sacks in Week 4 & is only player in NFL with 2 sacks in multiple games this season (also in Week 2).
* DE WILL ANDERSON has sack in 3 of 4 games this season & in both road games. Aims for his 3rd in row in reg. season vs. Bal. with 0.5+ sacks.
* LB AZEEZ AL-SHAAIR had PD last week. Has 7+ tackles in 3 of 4 games this season. Tied career high with 15 tackles in his last game vs. Bal. (10/15/23 w/ Ten.).
* CB DEREK STINGLEY had 1st INT of season in Week 4. Aims for 4th in row with PD.
* CB KAMARI LASSITER had 2 PD last week. Aims for 5th in row with 5+ tackles.
Can Woody Marks continue his climb up the Houston halfback _hill_ of fame? Baltimore’s inability to stop the run this season bodes well for the rook, that’s for sure.
* QB COOPER RUSH completed 9 of 13 atts. for 52 yards last week. Has TD pass in 12 of 14 career starts.
* RB DERRICK HENRY has 55+ scrimmage yards in 3 of 4 games this season. Rushed for 147 yards & TD in last meeting. Has 1,578 rush yards (105.2 per game) in 15 career games vs. Hou., most rush yards vs. any opponent in career.
* RB JUSTICE HILL led team with career-high 117 scrimmage yards (76 rush, 31 rec.) last week & had 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.), incl. 71-yard rush TD, longest in NFL in 2025. Had career-high 2 rush TDs in his last game vs. Hou. (9/10/23).
* WR ZAY FLOWERS had 7 catches for 74 yards in Week 4 & has 7 catches & 70+ rec. yards in 3 of 4 games this season. Had 9 catches for 78 yards in last home meeting.
* WR RASHOD BATEMAN has TD catch in 3 of his past 4 at home.
* WR DEANDRE HOPKINS ranks 2nd in Texans franchise history in catches (632), rec. yards (8,602), & rec. TDs (54).
* TE MARK ANDREWS aims for 3rd in row with 6+ catches. Has rec. TD in 5 of his past 6 at home. Had 68 rec. yards & TD catch in last meeting.
* LB TAVIUS ROBINSON had sack & PD last week & has sack in 2 of past 3.
* LB ODAFE OWEH had season-high 5 tackles in Week 5. Had sack in last meeting.
* LB TEDDYE BUCHANAN (rookie) aims for 3rd in row with 7+ tackles.
* CB CHIBODE AWUZIE had 4 tackles & 1st PD of season last week. Had FF in his last game vs. Hou. (1/5/25 w/ Ten.).
* S KYLE HAMILTON has 8+ tackles in 3 of 4 games this season. Had INT in last meeting.
Can Houston’s defense return the favor and shut down Henry and Justice Hill? They’re currently 12th against the rush, with 409 yards surrendered over 4 games.
Tune in Sunday at 1pm ET and find out.
Hopefully Caley has figured out how to fix this hot mess:
In the meantime, find a BESF fan and gently remind them of last weekend’s shutout, despite this level of “what’s an assignment?” by the Texans terrible o-line.
See More:
* [Houston Texans Game Information](/houston-texans-game-information)
* [Texans Analysis](/analysis)