Is it too late to ask Santa for some leftover jumper cables to boost the Texans' anemic offense? When the NFL schedule was announced on May 15th, Christmas Day became the date I had circled. It marked the third game in a trio of nationally televised home contests at NRG Stadium. "Bears, Lions, and Ravens, oh my!" Despite each passing game, the Texans have maintained the trend of having the impact of a watered-down drink.
Christmas Day on Netflix was supposed to be a showcase moment for Houston, instead it became the equivalent of a curtain call.
Final Score:
Ravens 31
Texans 2
For Baltimore, the strategy was straightforward: run the ball with Derrick Henry repeatedly. On their opening possession, they followed this plan, giving Henry the ball five times. His fifth carry capped off an 8-play, 75-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
A few minutes later after the Texans first drive ended on a sack from Kyle Van Noy, the Ravens would extend their lead to 10-0 on the strength of a 52-yard field goal from Justin Tucker. From that moment, they'd never look back, ultimately building their first half lead to 17-2.
The 17-2 intermission score landed in the NFL record books as the first of its kind. The Texans offense was so inept that their only points came on a safety from rookie corner Kamari Lassiter.
Intermission would provide the majority of the holiday cheer for Texans fans, thanks in part to Beyonce's halftime performance which featured a surprise appearance from artist Post Malone.
Once play resumed, the onslaught would continue. The Ravens ended up out rushing them by 193 yards and had 25 first downs to the Texans 10.
The next topic of discussion is whether the Texans should play their starters in the regular season finale against the Titans. The AFC South has already been clinched, and they are set to host a game in the Wild Card Round. In all probability, they will play the opening contest on Saturday, January 11th, which will kick off the weekend of postseason action.
