Some information given to us courtesy of Battle Red Blog’s Scott Barzilla
In preparing for today’s Christmas matchup against the Houston Texans, Battle Red Blog’s Scott Barzilla and I sat down for a Q&A for one another’s publications.
1. The Ravens last faced the Texans in the Divisional round of the playoffs last season. Where have they improved most? Are there areas of decline?
The improvements have all been on the defensive end. Danielle Hunter is a beast and Will Anderson is much better in year two. Additionally, improvements in the secondary at corner and safety have been huge. Offensively, Joe Mixon is a much better back than anything we had going last year, but otherwise it is virtually the same team. If anything, the line is much much worse than it was before.
2. Stroud was earning MVP talk last season after a stellar rookie campaign. But this season he’s curtailed a bit in production. What has him taking a step backward?
I busted out this stat last week, so it is a little stale, but the Texans coming into the Chiefs game were dead last in pressures allowed AND run blocks blown. The fact that Mixon might go over 1000 yards this week is a testament to him and his greatness. Stroud has certainly looked worse and has probably had a regression to the mean in terms of interceptions and the luck that comes from that. His timing is off and so his accuracy is off. That will likely have to be something that resets in the offseason because I think he will hear the footsteps until the season is over.
3. What gives you confidence in the Texans making a Super Bowl run this season? What areas give you apprehension?
I have very little confidence they will make a run because they are a mess offensively. The only chance is that they can go on a 2000esque Ravens defensive run where the defense carries them over the edge. They will get Al Az-Shaair back from suspension next week, but Jimmie Ward and Jalen Pitre are out for the year. This defense might be too beat up to dominate, but maybe they can make enough big plays to shock a team or two.
4. Who are two players (one offense, one defense) who aren’t household names that could make an impact in this game?
With Tank Dell being out for the season and the Ravens obviously keying in on Nico Collins, this has to be Dalton Schultz and maybe even Hohn Metchie if he is healthy. The Texans claimed Diontae Johnson from the Ravens, but it feels way too early for him to be thrown in there. I expect him to make his debut in Week 18. On defense, Christian Harris had the best success spying Lamar last season and I would expect him to have that role again Wednesday. Henry To’o’to’o was not a prominent player last year but he has been much improved and can help Harris there. Kamarie Lassiter and Calen Bullock have had great rookie seasons and can hopefully help neutralize some of the downfield threats since I imagine Derek Stingley will focus on Flowers.
5. The Ravens are favored in this Christmas matchup. Do you agree with them? How do you see this one playing out?
This is going to be a blood letting. The Ravens will likely blow the doors off the Texans if for no other reason than they need to in order to win the division. The Texans have nothing to play for as they are locked into the fourth seed.. There are just too many injuries on this team already to compete on this level. The losses of Tank Dell, Shaq Mason, and Jimmie Ward hurt way too much when you add them to the guys we have already lost. I would go something like 28-13 on this one.