NFL
NFL Divisional Round: What happened in the last regular season game between the Texans and the Ravens?
The Houston Texans have not won against Baltimore for a decade and were comfortably beaten in the regular season.
Baltimore Ravens host the Houston Texans in the first of this weekend’s Divisional Round match-ups. The Texans enjoyed an impressive 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round but will have their work cut out against Baltimore.
Follow Texans - Ravens live online: stats, scores and highlights | NFL Divisional Round.
The Ravens boast a 11-2 record in the previous 13 meetings of the two teams. The Texans’ only two victories came in 2012, en route to their Super Bowl XLVII triumph, and in 2014.
The Ravens clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC and are many experts’ tip to go all the way this year. Their 13-4 regular season record was the best in the country in 2023 and it all began with an impressive opening day performance against Saturday’s opponents.
Ravens blitzed Texans in regular season opener
When the two teams met back in September the Ravens ran out comfortable winners against an under-cooked Houston side. John Harbaugh, entering his 15th season as the team’s head coach, saw his team begin the season with a win.
Justice Hill scored twice in the second half as the Ravens cruised to a 25-9 victory back in September. However the Ravens’ victory was spoiled by a serious injury to J.K. Dobbins, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon. The running back has missed the entirety of the season for Baltimore but they have performed admirably in his absence.
“There’s so many things that we need to work on and get better at, and that’s what we’ll do starting on Monday,” coach John Harbaugh said after the victory back in September. “I’m excited with the win. I’m proud of the way the guys played.”
Stroud looking to make amends
C.J Stroud struggled in his NFL debut and admitted after the match that he needed to adapt quickly to the pace of the professional game.
“I’ve got to be better overall, make more plays and protect the football. I’ve got to be better in the huddle and things like that. I had some positive things but I’ve got to keep growing from here and keep getting better,” he said.
The Ravens’ defence denied Stroud time on the ball on his NFL debut but the rookie has bounced back to enjoy a historic maiden campaign. He set a single-game rookie passing record in Week 9 and led the league in passing yards per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6).
“I think we’ve grown in a multitude of areas,” Stroud said ahead of Saturday’s game. “A lot more experience up front now, both offensively, defensively and special teams, so I think we’ve grown in a lot of places.”