BALTIMORE (AP) — For a reminder of how far Baltimore's defense has fallen, recall that on Christmas last year, a Houston team that won its division couldn't manage an offensive point against the Ravens.
Now the Texans will face a much different unit when they take the field in Baltimore this weekend.
Decimated by injuries, the Ravens have had few answers for the offensive stars they've gone up against already this season. Baltimore has allowed 133 points in four games, and the situation has reached a point where Lamar Jackson's absence is far from the Ravens' only concern as they prepare to host Houston on Sunday.
“We know we have to get better. We have to, it’s a must,” Baltimore defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “That’s what we’re focusing on, and that’s what we’re doing. Nobody can hang their head and feel sorry for themselves. We’re in the position that we’re in. We’re 1-3. We haven’t been playing good football, specifically on defense.”
Baltimore and Houston are both 1-3, which adds plenty of urgency to this game. The Ravens had to face Buffalo, Detroit and Kansas City already, so their record wouldn't be worth panicking over — if they were still at full strength. But they are far from it.
Jackson left last weekend's loss to the Chiefs with a hamstring injury, and the Ravens have lost nine of their past 11 games when he didn't play. Baltimore added Cooper Rush this past offseason to back him up.
“Lamar is one of one. There’s no one else like Lamar,” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said. "No one’s been like Lamar, but at the end of the day, we have a core group of offensive guys, and we’re going to use everybody.”
The Ravens have won six straight over the Texans. That includes three meetings in the past two seasons in which Houston failed to score an offensive touchdown. The most recent matchup was in that Christmas game, a 31-2 drubbing by Baltimore.
“They’ll be prepared. I know they’ll be motivated,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. "They’re in a boat, like we are, trying to find wins. So, it’ll be a fight, no matter who plays.”
All four of Baltimore's first-team All-Pros from last season — Jackson, fullback Patrick Ricard (calf), linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) and cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) — are dealing with injuries. And that's not all. Defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) has been ruled out for the season, and cornerback Nate Wiggins (elbow) and tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) left last weekend's game early.
Stanley and Wiggins were back at practice on a limited basis Thursday, but star safety Kyle Hamilton (groin) was absent that day, having joined the injured list this week.
There are few players in the league who have done more damage against the Texans than Baltimore’s Derrick Henry, who faced them twice a year for eight seasons while playing in the AFC South for the Titans. His 1,578 yards rushing against the team are his most against any opponent and four of his six 200-yard rushing games have come against Houston, including a career-high 250 in the final game of the 2020 season. That performance gave him 2,027 yards rushing, making him the eighth player in NFL history to reach the 2,000-yard mark.
“Henry is an explosive player,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “They have people that you have to keep eyes on. You have to be aware of everyone.”
Houston rookie Woody Marks had his best game of the season last week against the Titans when he ran for 69 yards and a score and added 50 yards receiving with another touchdown. While he was happy for those accomplishments, he was perhaps most proud of a block that helped Stroud get loose on a scramble.
“That’s what you want to see out of a running back,” Marks said. “I think the O-line loved it more than we did.”
The importance of blocking was something Marks learned in college and has brought to his professional career.
“No blocking, no rocking,” he said. “So, if you’re not blocking you ain’t getting that rock. So, you have to block so you can stay on the field.”
Expect the Ravens to lean on Henry, especially now that Jackson can't play. The star running back had only eight carries last week, and coach John Harbaugh was candid about his view that Baltimore didn't stick to its plan offensively.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken enters this game under pressure to get the running game going.
“We need to be able to run it better and need to call it more often, because we have really good players back there, but we have really good players at a lot of spots,” Monken said.
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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.
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