AFC Divisional Round picks: Who the experts are taking in Ravens vs. Texans

The NFL experts have made their picks, and the Baltimore Ravens are favored to defeat the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round

We’re a little over 30 hours away from the Ravens (13-4) and Texans (11-7) kicking off the AFC divisional round of the playoffs on ESPN.

Houston advanced to the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history with a 45-14 win over the Browns in Super Wild Card Weekend.

The playoff win earned the Texans a rematch against the Ravens, and they’ll return to M&T Bank Stadium hoping to avenge a 25-9 loss in Week 1.

With kickoff fast approaching, here’s the NFL expert picks.

Ravens divisional round preview: 10 things to know about the Houston Texans

We’re looking at ten things to know about the Houston Texans ahead of their AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Baltimore Ravens

The Texans advanced to the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history with a 45-14 win over the Browns in Super Wild Card Weekend.

The playoff success earned Houston a rematch against the Baltimore Ravens, and they’ll return to M&T Bank Stadium hoping to avenge a 25-9 loss in Week 1.

The Texans are a different team since that humble welcome to the NFL moment for C.J. Stroud, and all the former Ohio State star has done is shatter records and lead his team to the postseason as a rookie.

With final preparations for Saturday’s kickoff underway, we’re looking at ten things about the Houston Texans.

Desmond King II of Texans with helicopter tackle of Joe Flacco

Desmond King II went for a spin on top of Joe Flacco while tackling the Browns QB

It should have been Joe Flacco who was dizzy after the way the Houston Texans treated the veteran quarterback on Saturday.

Early in the romp by the AFC South champs’ win over the Cleveland Browns, Flacco took off on a short run.

He headed to the turf and was met by Desmond King II of the Texans.

Flacco was down and King was on top of him, spinning ’round and ’round.

The spin was reminiscent of another post season helicopter journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssrkObXkGbM

 

Desmond King set personal best mark with 50 yard punt return vs. Browns

King’s 50-yard punt return against the #Browns was the longest of his career

The Houston Texans’ special teams unit has played well in comparison to their struggling offense and seemed to gain traction against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13 on the strength of a long punt return by cornerback Desmond King II. His 50-yard scamper was the longest punt return of his career, and though it didn’t affect the game’s final outcome, it was a good indication that the unit is trending in the right direction in the last weeks of the 2022 season.

For his part, King has proven to be a premium playmaker for Houston and uses his exceptional abilities to give the Texans any field position advantage he can to assist the offense in their quest to score points. Clearly, his efforts haven’t been the difference between wins and losses this season for the team, but as he continues to settle into his role, fans should expect more impressive plays from him.

The Texans will face a fierce opponent in the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and will need any edge they can find to get a win over their intrastate rival against all odds. Their 1-10-1 record is indicative of the uphill battle they’ll face against the 9-3 Cowboys, who are considered among the best teams in the NFC with the playoffs quickly approaching.

Houston will need King to make the most of every opportunity he gets to flip field position against Dallas, and with another big return he could set the Texans up for success in this Lonestar State showdown. Kyle Allen and the rest of Houston’s offense will need to maximize their chances against the Cowboys’ exceptional defense to make good on any advantage King provides them, and with a few improvements over last week’s game plan, the team might be able to pull off the upset and secure their second win of the year.

Titans’ Mike Vrabel gives updates on Jackson, Kern, Clowney, King

The Titans will be without Brett Kern and Adam Humphries for Week 9.

The Tennessee Titans are dealing with a slew of injury issues and other question marks ahead of the Week 9 contest with the Chicago Bears, and head coach Mike Vrabel gave some updates on most of those issues on Friday.

Punter Brett Kern, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and wide receiver Adam Humphries have all been absent from practice this week, and the team is still waiting to activate cornerback Adoree’ Jackson from Injured Reserve, but he was absent from practice on Thursday and Friday himself.

The Titans are also hoping that newly-acquired cornerback, Desmond King II, can suit up and provide at least a little help to a struggling and banged-up secondary. And, with outside linebacker Vic Beasley gone, the team must decide which player (or players) will step in to take those snaps

Vrabel gave answers to some of those questions when he met with the media on Friday after practice. Here’s what he had to say: