Starting on Nov. 17, the Houston Texans will endure the toughest stretch on their 2019 schedule.
On Sunday, they will duke it out with the vaunted 7-2 Baltimore Ravens, four days later, they will host the 5-4 Indianapolis Colts, then the 8-1 New England Patriots the next Sunday on the NFL’s biggest stage, Sunday Night Football.
Houston’s three-game stretch against the Ravens, Colts and Patriots features a combined 20-7 record, with all three teams possessing playoff aspirations. However, the Texans don’t have their collective minds on that; their focus is on the Ravens.
“I think as soon as you put that film on of the Baltimore Ravens, it doesn’t take you a long time to focus on the Baltimore Ravens,” said coach Bill O’Brien on Monday. “We’re very focused on the Ravens.”
At 6-3, the Texans are on-top of the AFC South race. Their record and divisional standing give them the third seed in the AFC playoffs. O’Brien and Co. are all too aware that the Baltimore game, like any against a tough AFC foe, is vitally important.
“I think that when you only play 16, you have to take it as 16 one-game seasons. I think that’s what we try to do,” said O’Brien. “Any time you go on the road to play an AFC opponent, that’s an important game. So, we’re going to do the best job we can of focusing on Baltimore. They’ve got a great football team and we’ll do the best job we can.”
O’Brien emphasizes the importance of focusing on their next opponent, treating it like a playoff game and then going from there. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins believes the same.
Hopkins, and the Texans’ locker room, could care less about the excitement, and subsequently, nervousness for the upcoming schedule. They are in Houston to get work done.
“We really block out the noise in here, honestly,” said Hopkins on Monday. “Not just saying that cliché, but we don’t really pay attention to really what goes on. As long as we handle business, that’s all that matters.”
Lamar Jackson and the red-hot Ravens in Baltimore present an immense challenge for the Texans. Those donning battle red and steel blue would be foolish to think about anything but those that reside in Maryland.