3. Run the rock
Taking the ball out of Lamar Jackson’s hands should be priority No. 1. The simplest way of doing so is to keep the ball in the Texans’ hands. Why not do that with an improved rush attack against a not-so-great defense?
Hint: there are no reasons why they should not do that.
The Texans can control the tempo of the game with their run game. Luckily, rushing the ball against Baltimore’s defense is one of the few plus matchups for Houston.
According to Football Outsiders, the Ravens are 28th in DVOA run defense (2%). The Texans are 12th in rush offense (-0.7%) and 11th in adjusted line yards per rush (4.34).
The Texans should not go completely run-heavy. That’s not their game. However, they should look to control the pace of the game with Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson. Establishing the run can wear out a pedestrian front-seven and leave them susceptible to big plays from Deshaun Watson.