The last match between the Houston Texans saw the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 featured two very different versions of the teams that will face off in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs this weekend.
The Ravens earned the 25-9 victory behind an unstoppable running game and stout defense, while the Texans were still working through early-season issues with a youthful roster led by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Since then, though, both teams have flourished. Stroud put together an Offensive Rookie of the Year season as the Texans went on to win the AFC South, while Jackson could win NFL MVP for the second time in his career as the Ravens shot up to the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans saw the Ravens’ ascent over the season and noted how much he’s seen them change on offense.
“They’ve grown throughout the season as an offense,” he said Tuesday. “I feel like they’re much more efficient. Lamar is playing exceptional football. MVP-caliber football. He’s done a really good job, not only running the ball or making off-schedule plays but getting the ball to his playmakers.”
DeMeco Ryans on the Lamar & the Ravens, how much they’ve grown from week 1 to now #Texans
“Zay Flowers truly pops off the tape with his explosiveness, dynamic playmaking ability. He’s a problem in the open field.” pic.twitter.com/3fWKTZ4cLR
— Shaun Bijani (@ShaunBijani) January 16, 2024
The Ravens would go on to produce the fourth-highest scoring offense in the league in the first year in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s system. This offense also ranked third in yards per play. A lot of that is thanks to Jackson’s ability to pass – he finished with a career-best 67.2 completion percentage and 3,678 passing yards – and a league-leading 5.5 yards per rushing attempt.
Jackson’s offensive weapons developed around him as well, especially wide receiver Zay Flowers. The rookie pass catcher emerged as Jackson’s top target, especially after tight end Mark Andrews suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Flowers finished the seasons with 77 receptions for 821 yards and five touchdowns with 11.1 yards per target.
Flowers is a threat to make plays at all areas of the field, and that reality wasn’t lost on Ryans.
“Zay Flowers truly pops off the tape with his explosiveness and his dynamic playmaking ability,” Ryans said. “He’s a problem in the open field with the ball in his hands so we have to do a really good job of tackling in space. It’s going to be huge in this game.”
While Texans cornerback Derek Stingley successfully stymied Browns wideout Amari Cooper a week ago, it’s unclear if Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke will have the second-year defensive back shadow Flowers or not. The Ravens’ other two wideouts, Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman are differently-built pass-catchers than Flowers. So it may make more sense for the defense to look at Baltimore differently when it comes to how they gameplan defensively.
What comes next for the Texans, then, is to learn from their mistakes in Week 1, continue what was successful this season and understand the new nuances of this talented Ravens team.
“It takes a lot of learning lessons just throughout the entire year to truly grow, to make you tighter,” Ryans added. “I think you learn best in those tough moments. You see who guys are, their true character, when things get tough, when everything isn’t going well. How do guys respond? We’ve seen that, we’ve seen how everybody responded through those tough times that we had, throughout some tough losses.”