Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens
The Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens face off on Week 1 on Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium. The Texans were brutal last season as they were last in the AFC South with a 3-13-1 record. The Ravens were second in the AFC North with a 10-7 record and made the postseason as a Wild Card team. They lost in the Wild Card Round to the Cincinnati Bengals 24-17 despite losing quarterback Lamar Jackson midway through the season.
Texans vs. Ravens Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Moneyline |
| Houston Texans | +9.5 (-110) | O 44 (-110) | +154 |
| Baltimore Ravens | -9.5 (-110) | U 44 (-110) | -185 |
Texans vs. Ravens Game Details
Fixture: Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens
Date & Time: Sunday, September 10 1:00 PM
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland
Texans vs. Ravens Key Stats
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are ready to completely refresh the organization as they have first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie first-round quarterback CJ Stroud. This team also has some serious talent with Nico Collins, Robert Woods and John Metchie III out wide as well as Dameon Pierce and Dalton Shultz to complete the offense. The offense was awful last season as the team averaged 17 points on 283.5 yards per game, both being in the bottom three of the NFL.
The defense also struggled last year as they allowed 24.7 points (27th) on 379.5 total yards per game (30th). This team got shaken up on this side of the ball as well as the Texans traded up to select defensive end Will Anderson Jr while improving the back seven by adding Denzel Perryman, Steven Nelson and Jimmie Ward. With a strong secondary and a legitimate pass rush while having a defensive-minded head coach, this side of the ball should carry the Texans.
Baltimore Ravens
The return of Lamar Jackson should help the offense as he returns from injury with a brand new contract extension. The team built the offense around him as well with the additions of Odell Beckham Jr, Nelson Agholor and a new right side of the offensive line. They also drafted wide receiver Zay Flowers in the first round, which many people are high on. This Baltimore offense faltered as they depended on backup quarterback and Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley to lead them as they were 20th with 20.4 points and 16th with 340.2 yards per game a year ago. With Jackson wanting to be more of a passer and a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken calling plays, this will be a good test to see the Ravens play a new brand of football.
The Baltimore Ravens were one of the best defensive teams in the NFL in 2022 as they typically are. They were third with 18.8 points and sixth in the NFL with 319.3 yards per game. This Ravens team has lost a lot of impactful defensive players as they no longer have Calais Campbell, Kyle Fuller, Justin Houston, Marcus Peters, Jason Pierre-Paul and Chuck Clark. The only free agent added on this side of the ball was cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. It will be interesting to see how this side of the ball looks coming out of the gates.
Texans vs. Ravens Prediction
While I don’t love the spread, I typically fade a rookie quarterback making his NFL debut. Add the fact this is DeMeco Ryans’ first game as a head coach and the roster is severely lacking compared to the Baltimore Ravens. This Ravens team can turn a lot of heads on offense but bad teams do not know they are bad in Week 1 and that scares me a little. Baltimore having the options of Odell Beckham Jr, Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews intrigues me but the losses on defense scare me. However, fade a rookie quarterback making his debut here and go with Baltimore to take care of things in Week 1.
