Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 31-2 win over the Houston Texans in Wednesday’s Week 17 game at NRG Stadium:
Brian Wacker, reporter: The Ravens set the tone on the first drive of the game, running Derrick Henry down the Texans’ throat and running the home team out of its own building. Then Lamar Jackson continued to show why he’s worthy of another NFL Most Valuable Player Award, directing an offense that moved the ball at will against a Texans defense that came into the game No. 1 in the league in DVOA. He also proved how unique his talents are, with his arm and his legs as he continuously left defenders grasping at air while he found open receivers or raced through the secondary.
Perhaps most impressive, though, was the Ravens’ defense, which flustered and pestered quarterback C.J. Stroud all game and gave the Texans little in the way of oxygen, even when it looked like they found some after tackling Henry for a safety.
Childs Walker, reporter: Lamar Jackson showed off all the gifts in his deep bag as the Ravens played one of their best all-around games of the season to seize first place in the AFC North. The Texans have lost to a string of top-tier opponents, but those games were close. This one wasn’t as Houston’s excellent defense found few answers for Jackson or Derrick Henry, and Baltimore’s defense continued its second-half renaissance.
The Ravens fired out of the chute with a perfect drive: eight plays, seven on the ground, covering 75 yards to put them up 7-0. After the Ravens scored again on their next possession and stopped the Texans three straight times to start the game, it seemed a rout might be on. Houston reversed the tide in the second quarter, penetrating into the Baltimore backfield consistently and dropping Henry for a safety. The Ravens reversed it back with a goal-line stand and 99-yard touchdown drive. Jackson dipped into his magician’s hat on that one, slipping out of a sack to dump the ball to Mark Andrews for a 67-yard catch-and-run, then buying an absurd amount of time for Isaiah Likely to pop open in the end zone.
Jackson then started the second half faking a handoff to Henry and running away from the Houston defense to make it 24-2. That one felt straight out of 2019. Jackson might not care about winning a third MVP Award, but he’s making his case.
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson sets NFL QB rushing record, eclipsing Michael Vick
Mike Preston, columnist: The Ravens embarrassed the Texans on Christmas, and it really wasn’t much of a contest. The Ravens overpowered Houston with stars Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson and then dominated on the defensive side as well.
The Ravens made Houston one-dimensional by shutting down running back Joe Mixon. It was surprising that Houston thought it could contain Baltimore’s running game with a four-man front. Maybe bigger and better defensive teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and even the Pittsburgh Steelers can at times, but not Houston. The Texans came into the game with a highly rated defense, but few teams play good defense in the NFL anymore. Houston was whipped soundly on both sides of the ball, and the NFL might as well forget the rest of the AFC schedule, and let Baltimore play Kansas City again for the AFC title.
Sam Cohn, reporter: Oh, how quickly a divisional race can tilt. Both the Ravens and Steelers were scheduled for a grueling three games in 11 days this late in the season. The former went undefeated. The latter finished winless. And now Baltimore is in the driver’s seat for the AFC North divisional race after thumping Houston during a Beyoncé concert on Netflix.
It might be naive to shrink the win to one sequence. But it’s hard not to focus in on that second quarter. Baltimore led 10-0 when Texans punter Tommy Townsend impressively pinned the Ravens at their own 4-yard line. Derrick Henry’s greediness on that first play resulted in a safety. Any life birthed from that two-play sequence flatlined when the Ravens’ defense walled up at the goal line, taking back possession and keeping Houston off the board. It was smooth sailing from there and Baltimore couldn’t lose on the night Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick for the NFL’s QB rushing crown.
C.J. Doon, editor: Lamar Jackson is officially the greatest rushing quarterback in NFL history, but we knew that already. In fact, calling him a rushing quarterback is a disservice to his overall body of work. That’s only part of his game now, a trump card he can play whenever he needs to. At this rate, Jackson is aiming higher. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre … that’s the company he’s going to keep if he wins a second straight and third overall NFL Most Valuable Player Award. And he probably won’t stop there. Like LeBron James, he could have the best statistical resume of anyone in the sport when he’s all said and done. And like James for the longest time, the only thing missing on his resume is a championship ring.
This season feels like his best chance to get one. Kansas City is 15-1, yes, but the Chiefs can’t keep getting away with this one-score magic … right? You can make an argument Baltimore should have won last year’s AFC championship game against Patrick Mahomes and company, and that was without the league’s second-leading rusher, Derrick Henry, in the backfield. Buffalo has Josh Allen, the biggest challenger to Jackson’s MVP case, but the Bills’ defense has been extremely vulnerable. If Jackson and Henry continue to play like this, and the defense continues to make steady improvements week after week, I’d take the Ravens over the field right now when it comes to winning the Super Bowl. That includes Philadelphia and the rest of the NFC, too.
Tim Schwartz, editor: That was about what we expected, right? Houston and Baltimore are trending in opposite directions — a lot of that has to do with health — but it was evident as can be Wednesday afternoon. All the talk will be about Lamar Jackson and his push to defend his NFL MVP Award, and understandably so after another record-breaking performance, but how about the defense? Sure, the Texans are battered and without any significant playmakers after Joe Mixon and Nico Collins, but to completely shut them out? This defense? The one that was the NFL’s worst through the first 10 weeks? Credit to first-year coordinator Zach Orr for getting his unit to completely turn things around so quickly. And the once-woeful performance of Justin Tucker is no more, too, after he nailed a 52-yard field goal. The Ravens are peaking at the right time and they will be well-rested heading into their regular-season finale and the postseason after playing three games in 11 days.
Bennett Conlin, editor: The Ravens are 11-3 since starting 0-2, and they’re a home win against the lowly Browns away from winning the AFC North for a second straight season. That’s impressive, as was Wednesday’s beatdown of the AFC South champions. The Texans had no answers for Baltimore’s rushing attack, and the Ravens’ defense continued its late-season improvement. It looks like the Ravens are playing their best football of the season at the most important time.
Lamar Jackson made a serious case that he’s more deserving than Buffalo’s Josh Allen to win the MVP Award. Jackson looked like the best version of himself Wednesday, racing untouched for a 48-yard touchdown run and dissecting Houston’s defense with pinpoint passing efficiency. It was a nearly flawless performance from Baltimore, with even Justin Tucker connecting on a 52-yard field goal. With the defense trending in the right direction and Derrick Henry running well, it’s hard to think of a more dangerous team with January looming.
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon.