2. Take away the quick passing game
With Lamar Jackson at the helm, the Ravens offense is dynamic. However, they aren’t perfect. Baltimore has not passed the ball deep consistently all-season long.
According to Player Profiler, Jackson is drilling 34.1% of his deep ball attempts, good for 20th in the NFL. Fortunately for the Ravens, coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have masked his so-so deep throwing with quick-hitting concepts.
The Ravens attack defenses with their three tight ends — Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst and Nick Boyle — short crossing concepts, RPOs and play-action bootlegs. Jackson can read a defense, pull them in with his legs then strike with far-improved accuracy.
That does not bode well for the Texans. Houston struggles to defend crossers and quick reads. Inside linebackers Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham, as well as nickel defenders, are paramount to reversing that course against a team that will exploit their weaknesses with their strengths.