National reaction to Ravens advancing to AFC Championship game with 34-10 win over Texans

We’re looking at the national reaction to the Baltmore Ravens advancing to the AFC Championship game after a 34-10 iwin over the Houston Texans

The Ravens avoided the repeat of 2019, advancing to the AFC title game after a dominant 34-10 win over the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium.

The win gave Baltimore two wins over DeMeco Ryan’s team, and the combined scores of 56-19 provide insight into how far Houston has to climb before they start thinking about championship Sunday.

Lamar Jackson was dominant from start to finish and will likely win his second NFL MVP after accounting for 252 yards, four total touchdowns, and a `121.8 quarterback rating.

Mike Macdonald’s defense held Houston to 213 yards of total offense on 47 offensive plays, limiting C.J. Stroud to 19-33 passing for 175 yards and no touchdowns.

After overcoming past failures, here’s the national reaction to the Ravens’ dominant victory.

Ravens vs. Texans: 10 takeaway from first half of Divisional Round matchup

We’re looking at ten takeaways from the first half as the Ravens and Texans are tied 10-10 in AFC Divisional Round matchup at M&T Bank Stadium

Baltimore got off to a slow start on Saturday before kicking things into gear on both sides of the football.

All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson was 7 of 11 passing, for 52 yards, one touchdown, and a 105.1 quarterback rating. Jackson had runs of 23 yards and 15 yards in the second quarter, scoring a drive that put the Ravens up 10-3 on the youthful Texans.

Houston responded on special teams, as recently elevated running back Steven Sims brought a punt return back 67 yards with 5:00 left in the first half.

With both teams back on the field, we’re looking at ten takeaways from the first half.

Projecting the Ravens depth chart for divisional round matchup vs. Texans

We’re looking at the Baltimore Ravens updated depth chart of ahead of the Divisional Round playoff matchup vs. the Houston Texans

We’re a little over five 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.

Baltimore has ruled out Marlon Humphrey for the contest, while Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews won’t be active after being listed as questionable.

With Humphrey out, Brandon Stephens and Ronald Darby are the likely starting cornerbacks against C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins and the Texans’ dynamic passing attack. Darby has made seven starts this season, as Humphrey will miss his eighth game.

Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney returned from an illness that kept him out of practice Wednesday and told reporters he’ll play. Wide receiver Zay Flowers (calf) and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (ankle) also both returned to full practice and said they’ll suit up.

With kickoff fast approaching, here’s a projected two-deep depth chart for Baltimore.

 

Ravens’ updated 53-man roster for AFC Divisional Round matchup vs. Texans

We’re looking at the updated 53-man roster for the Baltimore Ravens AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Houston Texans

After producing the NFL’s best record (13-4), the Baltimore Ravens return to M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday after earning a No. 1 playoff seed.

They will host the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round (Jan. 20, 4:30 p.m.).

The Ravens clinched the AFC’s top postseason spot for the second time (2019) in franchise history. The 2023 season also marked Baltimore’s first division title since 2019 and the fifth (2011-12, 2018-19) under head coach John Harbaugh.

Star tight end Mark Andrews is not expected to play after returning to practice, and he’ll join cornerback Marlon Humphrey on the list of inactives.

With kickoff a little over 24 hours, we’re looking at Baltimore’s updated 53-man roster for the divisional round matchup against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans.

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.

Ravens will face Texans in divisional round of AFC playoffs

The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will face off in the divisional round of the playoffs in a rematch of a Week 1 meeting

The Ravens are back from their first-round bye, and they know their opponent after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Thanks to the dominant play of Josh Allen, Baltimore will host the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium in a rematch of a 25-9 season-opening win.

In that game, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 28 of 44 passing attempts for 242 yards in his NFL regular-season debut but didn’t lead any touchdown-scoring drives.

Odell Beckham had two catches for 38 yards as he deferred to the rookie Zay Flowers in his debut.

Playing in his first game after a ten-month absence, Lamar Jackson was 17-22 passing for 169 yards and one interception while finishing with a 79.5 rating.

Jackson looked rusty at times but was efficient, had 38 yards rushing, and avoided nasty hits.

This is a different Houston team, and the Texans are flying high after dismantling the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round opener.

The weirdest Pro Bowl selections and snubs for the 2024 team

The 2024 Pro Bowl teams have been announced, and here are the oddest selections and snubs.

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The Pro Bowl is not a serious endeavor. We know that because at the actual Pro Bowl as it’s played now, there isn’t any actual football — it’s more like Field Day in elementary school. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but when it comes to the voting process — 1-3 from the fans, 1/3 from the coaches, and 1/3 from the players — it’s pretty frivolous. There are lifetime achievement awards which have little to do with the present, regionally-stacked oddities, and face-value selections which, again, have nothing to do with present performance.

Still, players get hefty contract incentives from Pro Bowl selections, so you know that players, agents, and teams take this seriously to a point. Now that the rosters for the 2024 Pro Bowl have been announced, here are the weirdest and worst selections.

Gimme him: 1 player Titans would steal from Texans

Shaun Calderon picks the one Texans player he would steal for the Titans.

Last week, I talked about how it was a no-brainer to pick Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill if the Tennessee Titans were going to steal one player from their Week 14 opponent.

This week, it’s a lot more complicated. Realistically, there are three players who I strongly considered snatching away from the Houston Texans in this hypothetical scenario.

Those three are left tackle Laremy Tunsil, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and edge rusher Will Anderson. All three of those players would instantly give the Titans an upgrade at a premium position of need.

Stingley is a talented young defensive back who has been fantastic this season. He would give the team a true No. 1 corner upon his arrival. 

Then, you have Anderson, who would join Harold Landry to give the Titans a lethal pass-rushing tandem off the edge.

But in the end, the No. 1 goal right now is to give rookie quarterback Will Levis as much help as possible. Therefore, I have to go with someone who the Texans aggressively went and got a few years ago in a blockbuster trade with the aforementioned Dolphins.

Tunsil is truly an elite left tackle in the NFL and does a fantastic job of protecting the blindside.

Since 2020, the Ole Miss product has only allowed eight sacks. To put that number in perspective, Andre Dillard (10) and Jaelyn Duncan (three) have allowed a combined 13 sacks between the two of them this year alone.

According to Pro Football Focus, Tunsil owns an overall grade of 75.2 this season, which is 21.8 points higher than Dillard’s 53.4, and 30.7 points higher than Duncan’s grade of 44.5.

As intriguing as taking one of the talented young defenders is, I have to go with someone who would solidify the most important position on the offensive line for the foreseeable future.

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Texans vs. Titans Thursday injury report: LT Laremy Tunsil full participant

LT Laremy Tunsil was the only change for the Houston Texans on the second injury report for Week 15.

The Houston Texans released their second injury report Thursday as they gear up to face the Tennessee Titans Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time for Week 15 at Nissan Stadium.

The only change from Wednesday’s injury report is that LT Laremy Tunsil (knee) was upgraded to a full participant.

Rookie QB C.J. Stroud was a non-participant as he is in concussion protocol.

DE Will Anderson (ankle), LB Blake Cashman (hamstring), WR Nico Collins (calf), OT George Fant (hip), and CB Tavierre Thomas (hamstring) were also non-participants.

WR Noah Brown (knee), DT Maliek Collins (chest), RG Shaq Mason (calf), LB Henry To’oTo’o, WR Robert Woods (rest) were limited.

K Ka’imi Fairbairn (right quad) and TE Dalton Schultz (hamstring) were full participants.

For Tennessee, DL Denico Autry was a limited with a knee injury. QB Will Levis was a full participant with an ankle injury.

For more information on the Titans’ injury report, check out the Titans Wire.

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