The Houston Texans will look to keep their run going under rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans when they face the top-seeded Ravens in Baltimore in the Divisional Round this Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET, with ESPN on the broadcast. The Ravens are sizable favorites at [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”spread-home” query=”558137″ site_id=”legalsportsreport”], and the game has an over/under line of [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”overUnder” query=”558137″ site_id=”legalsportsreport”]. The Texans are current long shots to win the Super Bowl at +3300.
Houston had one of the lower projected win totals in the NFL this season after finishing last season with the second-worst record in the league. C.J. Stroud has been a revelation in his rookie campaign, and Ryans has helped turn the league’s worst rush defense into a solid unit against the run and pass. Houston went 7-3 down the stretch to win the AFC South and pulled away from the Cleveland Browns for a 45-14 victory in the wild card round.
The Ravens have been a powerhouse during the second half of the season. Overall, they’ve averaged the third-most points per game in the league (28.4) and allowed the fewest (16.5). Lamar Jackson led the most run-heavy offense in the NFL as a dual-threat quarterback, and he is the betting favorite to win the MVP. Jackson is 1-3 in the playoffs in his career, including an 0-2 record at home. The Ravens are expecting tight end Mark Andrews (ankle) to return for the first time since Week 11, but they’ve ruled out cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf).
Houston Texans divisional round injury report
| Player | Pos Position | Injury | Status | Snaps/g Snaps Per Game | Comment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Potential key missing players
Noah Brown (shoulder) ruled out
Brown was questionable with a back injury ahead of the matchup with the Browns and left that game with a shoulder injury. The team then placed him on injured reserve. With their secondary receiver ruled out, the Texans elevated Steven Sims to the active roster and signed Damiere Byrd to their practice squad.
Jerry Hughes (ankle) questionable
The Texans listed all four of their starting defensive linemen as questionable ahead of the wild card round, and Hughes was the only player unable to take the field. He didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday or Thursday this week.
Jonathan Greenard (ankle) questionable
Greenard has led the Texans with 12.5 sacks this season in 15 appearances. He’s been limited in practice for the second straight week along with Will Anderson (ankle), Sheldon Rankins (shoulder), and Maliek Collins (hip), who are the three players right behind him on the list of sack leaders.
