NFL Week 5: Texans Annihilate Ravens, 44-10

Throughout their two and half decades in the National Football League, there are certain teams the Texans have had more trouble with than others. While Peyton Manning was in Indianapolis, it took the Texans several seasons to beat the Colts. The Patriots dominated the Texans in the 2010s. The Texans have never defeated the Vikings nor the Eagles. 

Then, there are the Baltimore Ravens, a team that, going into Sunday, sported an 11-2 regular season record against the Texans, including a perfect 8-0 home record. Toss in a couple playoff wins over the Texans in Baltimore, and the Ravens might be the biggest bane of the Texans’ NFL existence.

DeMeco Ryans’ Texans teams of the last two seasons have been a small subset of the Texans’ bigger futility, going 0-3 against the Ravens, while getting outscored 90-21 in those three games. That’s why the Texans should apologize to nobody by taking a skeleton crew of Ravens to the woodshed on Sunday afternoon, exorcising all those years of Ravens demons. 

The final score was Texans 44, Ravens 10. The Ravens had no Lamar Jackson (hamstring), no Kyle Hamilton (groin), no Roquan Smith (hamstring), and honestly I could be here all day typing names. They were ravaged by injuries. Again, who cares? You know what good teams do? They take the wounded animal out back and put it out of its misery.

That’s what the Texans did, from the get go, on Sunday. Now the Texans are 2-3 and, while their head isn’t back above water year, They can at least breathe using a snorkel. Let’s get to Sunday’s winners and losers, shall we? 

WINNERS

4. Bye week vibes 

Unlike last season, when the Texans had their bye week in early December, they get an early one this season, as they’ll get the upcoming weekend off. They could not be going into the bye week on more of a high than they’re on right now. Even a close win over a depleted Ravens team would have been nitpicked to death, and kept the doubt from the three games pre-Week 4 alive. Now, the Texans can continue to fix their offensive issues with actual success to point to. I never knew 2-3 could feel so good! 

3. Jalen Pitre 

Since getting beat by Puka Nacua on 3rd and 8 to close out the loss to the Rams in Week 1, Pitre has been outstanding. After two interceptions on Sunday, Pitre leads the team with three total, and DeMeco Ryans and DC Matt Burke seems to have found a happy medium in putting Pitre in situations where he isn’t pushed outside his comfort zone. As of right now, Pitre is living up to his three year, $39 million contract extension. 

2. Xavier Hutchinson 

In training camp, Hutchinson was one of the real bright spots. Always one of the hardest workers on the team, Hutchinson’s first couple seasons were short in production. Like the rest of the offense, Hutchinson had to struggle to get things going early this season. On Sunday, he scored the first two touchdowns of his career, including a beautiful back shoulder fade from C.J. Stroud for his second touchdown. It was the type of throw that a quarterback throws when he’s confident in his guy to go get the ball. 

1. C.J. Stroud 

Speaking of Stroud, he’s now put together back to back games where (a) he’s been statistically efficient, and (b) looked very comfortable in the pocket and in his decision making. The genesis of the return of 2023 Stroud seems to have been the conversion on 2nd and 33 late in the third quarter of last week’s win over Tennessee. Since then, check out the numbers:

It’s good to have this version of Stroud back. 

LOSERS

4. Jaire Alexander

So Texans rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel scored this first touchdown of his career in the second half of Sunday’s game. It came on a really well designed play by OC Nick Caley. However, even better designed was Noel’s touchdown celebration, a mimicking of Ravens Hall of Famer Ray Lewis’ famous dance. Bold move by Noel! For some reason, Ravens CB Jaire Alexander, who’s been a Ravens for all of a few months, took great offense and tried to steal the ball from Noel. (It’s customary for players to keep the ball with which they scored their first touchdown.)