4. beat the blitz
The Ravens have playmakers on defense. The problem (for them): they lack them in the front-seven. With no more Terrell Suggs, Za’Darius Smith and C.J. Mosley, Baltimore has resorted to blitzing to create pressure alongside their lead pass-rusher Matthew Judon.
According to Pro Football Reference, the Ravens blitz at the highest rate in the NFL (49.4%). However, that has resulted in a bottom-five hurry rate (7.6%). Simply put, Baltimore sends the heat, but most of the time, they get little in return.
Luckily, for the Texans, quarterback Deshaun Watson has improved mightily when attacking the blitz. He has found tight ends, wideout DeAndre Hopkins and tailback Duke Johnson to be reliable options on hot routes. The result: a far better quarterback against blitzes than before.
It doesn’t hurt Watson that he ranks seventh in the NFL in pressured completion rate (45.2%), per Player Profiler, and will play behind a fully healthy offensive line — which has allowed two sacks in 176 snaps.
Houston can negate Baltimore’s blitz-happy defense with an offense that has gotten increasingly better against extra pressure. Expect the Texans to exploit the Ravens’ aggressive pass-rush by targeting the middle of the field and loading Johnson and the tight ends up on hot reads.