After dealing with injuries, Texans focused on Ravens, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry
John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
When Head Coach DeMeco Ryans met with the media for the last time before Wednesday’s game against the Ravens at NRG Stadium, he got the gloom and doom out of the way first: Receiver Tank Dell and safety Jimmie Ward would undergo season-ending surgery.
Dell and Ward were injured in the loss at Kansas City. Right guard Shaq Mason suffered a knee injury against the Chiefs, and won’t play against the Ravens. Kendrick Green replaced him on Saturday.
Dell, who was injured catching a 30-yard touchdown pass, has a dislocated knee, a torn ACL and “some other things there that he’ll have to get repaired,” according to Ryans.
“Tough news, especially with Tank and Jimmie,” he said. “Two great guys, great players. We’ll miss them dearly. They meant a lot to our team, and we know we have a lot to pick up losing those two guys. They’ll attack the rehab the right way, and they’ll be back in due time.
“I don’t think the emotional (part) will leave us because those guys are important pieces of our team and great people for our team. It’s hard to move on, but we’ve got the Ravens coming into our house, and we have to move on and play good football. There isn’t any other thing that should be more important than Baltimore. That’s where all our energy is because they’re such a talented team.”
In the short term, the Texans will try to replace Dell’s production with contributions from John Metchie III, Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson, who have combined for 42 catches, 416 yards (9.9 average) and one touchdown.
As soon as they can get Johnson up to speed on Bobby Slowik’s offense, he’ll get on the field, too. This season, Johnson has 31 catches (11.7 average) for 363 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Texans have been preparing for Baltimore, a team they started and finished the 2023 season against. There’s a good chance the Texans could play the Ravens on Christmas Day as well as in the wild-card round of the playoffs – two times in three games sandwiched around a trip to Tennessee.
The Ravens (10-5) are trying to overtake the Steelers to win the AFC North. If they do, it’ll probably mean the Steelers will play the Texans in the wild-card round.
Baltimore has a five-game winning streak against the Texans. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is 4-0 against the Texans, including last season’s victory in the divisional round. In those Jackson-engineered victories, the Ravens have a 33-10 average scoring advantage.
The Texans haven’t defeated the Ravens since 2014. Wednesday would be a good time to start. Upsetting Baltimore and beating Tennessee to finish 11-6 might improve the Texans’ seeding in the playoffs.
The Texans are fourth in defense, including 11th against the run and sixth against the pass. They’ll try to contain Baltimore’s double-headed monster running game featuring Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, who the Texans know all-too-well from his eight seasons with the Titans.
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