For this week’s edition of 5 Questions, Battle Red Blog offered their thoughts on how the Texans will match up with the Ravens on Sunday.
1. Houston’s defense has been good under DeMeco Ryans, but they appear to have taken a major leap this year. Is there one key factor in that success, or is it more that an exciting young roster has fully coalesced under a third-year head coach?
I would say it is a combination of a couple of things. I think the players are more comfortable in the system in its third season. However, I think a larger part of it is either healthier pieces or a few key new pieces. Sheldon Rankins came back to help anchor the inside after missing a season. E.J. Speed was added to the linebacking core and he got his first good action this past week. Christian Harris is finally healthy and contributing there as well. This defense has three legit Pro Bowl performers in Daniele Hunter, Will Anderson, and Derek Stingley. Kamari Lasiter also has an outside shot of getting there as well. Ryans actually handed the play calling duties over to DC Matt Burke. Obviously, there are strategic team wide reasons for doing that, but I think it speaks to how comfortable everyone is with how things are running.
2. The Texans hired Nick Caley as their offensive coordinator this offseason, and his unit is off to a rough start this year. Why haven’t things been clicking for Caley so far, and will he turn it around against the Ravens’ bottom-ranked defense?
I think everyone is openly asking whether the Texans blew this hire. My biggest problem with Caley is that he hasn’t found a way to put the best 11 guys on the field consistently. Rookies Woody Marks, Jalen Noel, and Jayden Higgins are clearly more talented than many of the players that have been playing in front of them. Plus, there has been quite a bit of shuffling on the offensive line in the early going. Those guys were getting more time against Tennessee, so the hope is that will continue this week and into the future. In terms of play calling, the hope is that C.J. Stroud continues to trust the system and gets rid of the ball quickly. That also started happening more in this past game and it was by far his best week.
3. Houston also remade their offense line this offseason. How are the early returns, particularly from rookie left Aireontae Ersery, and will they be able to dominate Baltimore’s defensive line as the Lions and Chiefs did?
Like most rookies, Ersery is going to have good plays and bad plays. Consistency is always the biggest hurdle for those guys to jump over. When you think about it, the offensive line might be the cruelest position on the field. You can succeed 90 percent of the time, but that ten percent are the plays that people remember. Like much of the offense, this took a little shuffling. Laken Tomlinson has largely lost his job to Juice Scruggs. The team traded away Cam Robinson this week. The hope is that this unit can continue to build continuity and turn that 90 percent into 95 percent and so on.
4. The Texans have struggled on third down this year, but the Ravens defense has struggled to get off the field. How can they accomplish that on Sunday?
The key for both teams will be what those third downs look like. If they are third and short or third and medium then the Texans can turn that around and convert close to half of them like the rest of the league. If they are third and longs then it will be a long day for them. This is all about the running game and that is another facet that made a comeback this week. They had more than 30 carries on the ground and those third downs were a lot more manageable. Woody Marks came to the forefront offensively and it was a breath of fresh air. Hopefully that continues.
5. Who is one Texan who has been unheralded so far this season but could have a major impact in Baltimore?
I would say it has been Marks. The Ravens and Texans seemingly meet every year either in the regular season or playoffs. Most of our prominent guys are guys that you know. Marks was a fourth round selection this year and like many running backs, he can make immediate dividends due to his quickness and versatility. He has one touchdown out of the backfield and one receiving. The aforementioned Noel is another to keep an eye on in special teams. He already has one long punt return on the season and in a close game, special teams plays can make the difference. On defense, Tommy Togiai is another defensive tackle new to the team that just seems to make plays. None of the defensive tackles are Pro Bowl level players, but they will sneak up on you for a key stop or sack.