(SportsRadio 610) - The Texans are headed back to Baltimore, where they lost the first game of DeMeco Ryans’ first season 25-9, for the divisional playoff game against the Ravens, the AFC’s highest-seeded team that earned home-field advantage in the playoffs.
After eliminating the favored Cleveland Browns 45-14 at NRG Stadium, the Texans knew their next destination would be Baltimore or Kansas City.
Buffalo’s victory over Pittsburgh in the AFC’s last wild card game on Monday guaranteed the Texans a rematch with the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens are favored by 9.5 points.
“Just to have another week with my brothers is a blessing,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “We have another week to prove ourselves. It’s cool to be playing at a high level right now. This a dream come true (and) I’m super excited for this team and the city of Houston.”
The Texans (11-7) are a better team than they were on Sept. 10 when they lost to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. They failed to score a touchdown and received three field goals from Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Since beginning the season with consecutive losses to the Ravens and Colts, the Texans are 11-5, and Stroud has become one of the NFL’s best at this position.
“It’s cool to play at a high level right now,” Stroud said. “It shows whatever you put your mind to, you can accomplish. DeMeco has led this team with great confidence, and that confidence rubbed off on everybody. We're all holding each other to a certain standard.”
Speaking of a certain standard, Stroud is playing at the highest. In the mauling of the Browns, he had 274 yards, three touchdowns, no turnovers and a 157.2 rating, highest for a rookie in NFL history. At 22 years, 102 days, he became the youngest and highest-drafted rookie quarterback to win a playoff game.
Stroud threw for 236 yards in the first half against the league’s No. 1 defense, including first against the pass, before Ryans and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik called off the offensive dogs and turned it over to the defense, which scored touchdowns on interception returns by cornerback Steven Nelson and linebacker Christian Harris.
“C.J. is special, the reason we're in this position,” Ryans said. “He continues to shine no matter how big the moment is. He’s been the same throughout the year. He’s been consistent. (Since) he’s been back from the (concussion), he’s been really calm and focused – laser focused, really locked in. He’s been very confident, and I think everybody feels that around him.”
The Ravens finished 13-4 and won six of their last seven games. That was the last game of the season against Pittsburgh.
It didn’t mean anything as far as playoff seeding, so coach John Harbaugh rested a lot of his starters, including Jackson, his leading rusher with 821 yards and five touchdowns. In the first game against the Texans, Baltimore had a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken. He’s like Stroud in that he’s made tremendous improvement since the Ravens’ victory over the Texans.
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“You talk about drastic improvements,” Ryans said, “our first game going against Baltimore, tough place to play, rookie quarterback, new team, new start. A really tight game, and they kind of took it away in the second half. From there to where we are now, we’ve definitely grown, a completely different team. They’re a completely different team. It’ll be a really tough matchup.”
The early weather forecast calls for a high of 28 and a low of 21 on Saturday.
The lowest temperature the Texans played in was 48 degrees at Tennessee, where they beat the Titans on a 54-yard Fairbairn field goal with no time remaining in overtime. It was 58 degrees the week before when they lost 30-6 to the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
“As long as you know what you need to wear, make sure you prepare, make sure you wear the proper things that’ll help you while you’re standing around on the sideline,” Ryans said. “Once you hit the field, you’re going to get cold, but I’d say, ‘Who cares? Let’s go!’ We’ve got to find a way to make plays.”
If the wind becomes a factor at M&T Bank Stadium, so will the running games. The Ravens led the league in rushing, and the Texans were sixth against the run. They surrendered 56 yards rushing against the Browns. The Texans are much better with Stroud throwing than trying to be a consistently productive running team.
“It’s fun playing in cold-weather games,” Ryans said. “You kind of block out how bad it’s going to hurt (because) that doesn’t matter. How blessed are we to be in this position playing for a spot to go to the AFC Championship Game? That’s all that matters. That’s all that’s on our mind -- just finding a way to win no matter the elements, no matter how you feel. Everybody’s pretty beat up at this moment, but how would victory feel?”
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.