Ravens continue to roll with 33-16 road win over Texans
The Baltimore Ravens looked like they were in peak midseason form for the second straight week as they steamrolled the Houston Texans on the road in anther lopsided victory over another AFC opponent that is expected to be a contender this season and improved their league-leading regular season winning streak to 14 straight in the process.
After blowing out the Cleveland Browns at home in the season opener, reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens followed up their complete performance in that game with another one over the Texans where they dominated in all three phases for a second consecutive week to improve to 2-0.
Baltimore played complementary football on both offense and defense, made Houston pay dearly for their mistakes in the first half and in the second half they got back to their dominant rushing roots and ran the Texans out of their own building to the tune of 230 yards on the ground.
A Justin Tucker chip shot field goal was the lone score of the first quarter, but after the two teams traded touchdowns at the top of the second, the Ravens scored 10 points in less than 30 seconds thanks to another Tucker field goal and fumble return touchdown on defense where corner Marlon Humphrey punched the ball out of the grasp of Texans slot receiver KeKe Coutee and inside linebacker LJ Fort scooped it up and ran it back 22 yards the other way before diving for a score.
On the ensuing Texans’ offensive drive the Ravens other First-Team All-Pro corner, Marcus Peters, made his presence felt when he showed off his incredible instincts and play recognition on an interception of Houston quarterback DeShaun Watson who was under constant duress all day, was sacked four times and hit a whopping 13 times.
The Ravens didn’t turn that turnover into points like that did the Texans risky turnover on downs to close the opening quarter but it swung the momentum in their favor and they took a 20-10 lead into half time after a 44-yard field goal from Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Even though Baltimore dominated the scoreboard in the first half, their offensive line struggled to consistently pass protect for Jackson in the first two quarters. However, after halftime they responded beautifully by getting back to what made them the most potent offense in the league last season, running the ball down their opponent’s throat.
The Ravens ate up over half of the third quarter on one well-balanced drive that covered 55 yards in 14 plays and was capped off by a 47-yard field goal by Tucker. Houston responded with a lengthy 14-play drive of their own that ended in a field as well.
Baltimore only had a 10-point lead heading into the final stanza but they would go on to impose their will on the ground the rest of the way to extend their lead, close out the game and secure another runaway victory in the fourth quarter.
The Ravens delivered the death blow in their first offensive drive of the fourth quarter when they marched 75-yards down the field in six plays and extended their lead to three possession with a 30-yard scamper to the end zone from veteran running back Mark Ingram who lined up in shotgun as the quarterback in a wildcat formation and went untouched to pay dirt after hitting a crease that opened up on the left side of the offensive line.
The Texans’ defense and team overall were demoralized after that and even though their offense added another field goal, their will was clearly broken. The Ravens kept the ball on the ground exclusively on their final two drives, including a 64-yard drive when they ran 13 straight times before trotting Tucker out one last time for his fourth and final field goal.
Rookie running back J.K. Dobbins put the icing on the cake on the final drive of the game with his career and game-long 44-yard gallop to pick up the last first down the Ravens needed to send out their victory formation for a trio of kneel-downs.
