It was a game that almost got away from the Ravens. The Houston Texans’ excellent blocking schemes foiled the Ravens’ defensive front pressure on young T.J. Yates for most of the day. Yates had several chances to bring the Texans back into this thing…
But in the end, it was the Ravens’ underrated secondary defense which saved the day, and basically ruined a pretty good outing by Yates and Arian Foster (and the Texans’ zone-blocking offensive line). The Texans proved they belong in these playoffs, however. Baltimore was lucky to get out of here with a W.
Ravens secondary guys knew where WR Andre Johnson was at all times throughout this game, perhaps the saving grace for their defensive game plan. Here Cary Williams battles Johnson in the first half after a short gain.
Ed Reed’s interception, the Ravens’ third of the game, at the Ravens 4-yard line with less than two minutes left ended a late Houston threat. The Ravens then broke up a fourth-and-1 pass by T.J. Yates from the Baltimore 43 in the end zone with 11 seconds left to secure the win.
A crowd of 71,547, the largest in team history, saw the Ravens win their 11th straight at home and 19th in their last 20 home games. It was the Ravens’ first home postseason game since a January, 2007, loss to the Colts in the divisional playoffs.
The Ravens will play the New England Patriots in the AFC title game next Sunday. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. It’s the Ravens’ second AFC title game in four years, as they lost at Pittsburgh in January of 2009. They’re seeking their second Super Bowl trip, having won in 2001.
Quarterback Joe Flacco completed 14 of 27 passes for 176 yards and two first-quarter touchdowns set up by Texans turnovers. But the former Delaware standout was sacked five times. Ray Rice rushed for 60 yards on 21 carries.
Arian Foster rushed for 132 yards on 27 carries and a second-quarter touchdown for Houston. He’d gained just 49 yards on 15 attempts in Houston’s 29-14 loss here Oct. 16.
Yates, the rookie out of North Carolina, was 17-for-35 for 184 yards.
The Ravens parlayed a Texans fumble and interception into touchdowns that gave them a 17-3 first-quarter lead, but Houston was within 17-13 at halftime. The third quarter was scoreless, though Houston missed a 50-yard field goal and Rice was stopped inches from the end zone on a fourth-and-1 try.
Lardarius Webb’s second interception of the game at the Ravens 29-yard line thwarted a Houston threat with 7:21 left. It set up Billy Cundiff’s 44-yard field goal with 2:52 left that increased the Ravens lead to 20-13.
Danieal Manning’s 60-yard return of the opening kickoff put Houston in position to take a 3-0 lead on its first possession when Neil Rackers converted from 40 yards out. Reed had thwarted Foster for no gain on a third-and-1 carry from the 21.
Jacoby Jones then tried to field a Ravens punt on one hop and fumbled, with Baltimore’s Jimmy Smith recovering at the 2. On third down, Flacco bumped into Rice retreating to the pocket, then passed to the wide open tight end Kris Wilson on the right side of the end zone. It was Wilson’s first catch of the year.
The Ravens padded their first quarter lead to 10-3 on Cundiff’s 48-yard field goal one play after the Ravens recovered a Flacco fumble.
Webb’s interception of a first-down Yates pass, intended for Andre Johnson, gave Baltimore possession at the Texans 33. Two plays after Rice’s 20-yard gain on a third-and-10 screen, Flacco passed 10 yards to Anquan Boldin for the touchdown as the Ravens went up 17-3 with 1:08 left in the first quarter.
Rackers’ 33-yard field goal made it 17-6 with 11:42 left in the second quarter, when Yates’ passing got the Texans to the 10 but the Ravens thwarted second- and third-down throws there.
Houston then put together a 12-play, 86-yard drive, including 66 by Foster, who carried one yard for the TD to pull within 17-13.
In the third quarter, Rackers’ 50-yard field-goal try slid off the crossbar with 5:54 left. The Ravens then missed an opportunity to increase their 17-13 lead when Rice was stopped inches from a touchdown by Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins on a fourth-and-1 carry with 1:53 left in the third quarter.
Okay, so Ravens fans will take the Win… but most of them know the Ravens will have to play much better than this outing when they go up to Foxboro next weekend. Getting beat on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball is not the formula to win against the Patriots. Something much more dynamic in the way of plan and execution will be required.
If not for Anquan Boldin being able to play against the Texans and giving Flacco some very key targets at crucial times, I am doubtful the Ravens would have won out over the Texans. And if Cam Cameron continues to call the same dive plays on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 with the same zero-results, it won’t be a pretty picture next week in New England.
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