BALTIMORE, Md. – It was hardly a holiday filled with Christmas cheer and cherished moments for the Texans last December.
The Baltimore Ravens spoiled the fun.
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Instead of showcasing the growth of the franchise under the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans nosedived in front of an international audience.
They got absolutely stomped by the Ravens on Netflix with Beyonce in the house at NRG Stadium for a halftime performance that easily outpaced the hometown NFL team. The Texans’ absorbed a 31-2 defeat as Ravens star Lamar Jackson broke Michael Vick’s all-time rushing record for quarterbacks and Derrick Henry ran roughshod over a proud defense. The only points the Texans scored came on a safety when Kamari Lassiter tackled Henry in the end zone.
“For sure, man,” Texans wide receiver Nico Collins said when asked about his memory of crushing loss. “We got killed on Christmas, on Netflix, home field, that was crazy. That was not the way we wanted to turn out, but got another opportunity this week go on the road again in Baltimore and just be ourselves, another opportunity to compete against them boys. Can’t wait, it’s going to be fun.”
Although the Texans ultimately righted the ship and won their second consecutive AFC South division title and one playoff game before their season ended against the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, playing the Ravens this week provides another reminder of a painful past against an AFC North franchise that owns two Super Bowl trophies.
The Texans have never won a game in Baltimore. They are 2-13 all-time against the Ravens, including six consecutive losses. The last time they beat the Ravens was on Dec. 21, 2014.
The 1-3 Texans, against an injury-riddled Ravens team that will play without Jackson due to a hamstring injury along with defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, linebacker Roquan Smith, cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie, play the 1-3 Ravens on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
“We understand where we’ve been in that battle,” said Ryans, who lost both of his two games against the Ravens as a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Texans. “It hasn’t been good, but that doesn’t matter. The past is the past. It’s all about these teams, this year, at this specific time.
“How do we go out and do what we need to do to execute, to play complementary football, play as a team, play together? How do we need to finish? We finish the right way, we can go win the football game.”
In the last meeting, the Texans allowed 251 rushing yards as Henry piled up 147 yards. Four of the five-time Pro Bowl runner’s six 200-yard games have come at the Texans’ expense.
“I think any time you get embarrassed like that on national television, I hope everybody who was a part of the Houston Texans organization felt some type of way about it,” Texans linebacker and team captain Azeez Al-Shaair said.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 184 yards against the Ravens on Christmas and was intercepted once.
After that game, Stroud called it one of the worst performances of his career.
He’s coming off an excellent game against the Tennessee Titans, earning the team’s first win of the season. He had his highest passer rating since a playoff win over the Cleveland Browns two seasons ago.
“We’re a new team,” Stroud said. “It’s a new season, new circumstances. It’s just new.”
The Texans couldn’t stop Jackson or Henry.
It was an unforgettably bad performance. Now, the Texans get another chance.
“Christmas Day, man, it wasn’t the outcome that we wanted,” Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson said. “Man, we’ve got another opportunity. We’ve got another (opportunity) to go up there and play a really great team. It’s gonna be a heavyweight fight, and we’ve just got to be ready for the challenge.”
The Ravens are depleted by injuries, but they’ve definitely had the Texans’ number over the years.
How do the Texans compartmentalize the past games and move forward successfully?
“For me, you flush it,” Ryans said. “You put on the tape, and you see that’s not representative of who we are, what we’re abouy. It was not a good outing at all. So, we don’t harp on the past and lean on that. We got a new team this year. The Ravens have a new team. We don’t just pick up where we left off last year.”
Not having Jackson on the field changes the calculus a lot.
He’s 5-0 all-time against the Texans. He’s 3-0 against Ryans, including an AFC divisional-round victory. During the past three meetings, it hasn’t even been close. The Texans were outscored by a 90-21 margin during that span.
This time, it could be different, though.
The Texans have the NFL’s top scoring defense.
The Ravens rank last in scoring defense, surrendering 33.3 points per game.
They’re second-to-last in total defense, allowing 406.8 yards per game.
This marks a far cry from the epic Ray Lewis, Ed Reed defenses of the past.
“It wasn’t the way we wanted it to turn out, but we’ve got another opportunity this week,” Collins said. “That’s a solid team on both sides of the ball, so we’ve got to make sure we come ready. We’ve got to bring our best ball as well, which I know we will.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com