NFL: Texans Look to Exploit Flacco’s Mistakes Against Ravens

A bad Matt Schaub throw ended Houston’s chances of picking up a win against the Raiders last week. This weekend however it will be the Texans who will look to exploit quarterback errors against Joe Flacco and the Ravens.

Balance of power
The arrival of the aging and, at least for the Jets, under-performing Derrick Mason did little to assuage doubts about Houston’s hope without Andre Johnson. There’s never a good time to lose a star receiver but Johnson will be particularly missed in Baltimore this Sunday.

Without Johnson, the Texans’ offense loses a significant tactical advantage over the Ravens. NFL betting fans know that Houston can run the ball well but they are going up against the #2 rush defense in the league this Sunday. While the Ravens are an elite outfit on pass defense, having Johnson as a threat would have taken much of the pressure off running back Arian Foster.

By any measure, Flacco’s a problem
In a year where the Ravens possess an abundance of riches, they have one glaring liability. The defense, as ever, is stacked. Ray Rice is one of the most dominant running backs in the game. Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, and Lee Evans are a more than adequate receiving corps for a Super Bowl contender. The offense however has the worst quarterback in the NFL. Joe Flacco ranks last among all quarterbacks to have started every game on Pro Football Focus’ quarterback rankings.

The league’s own stats, which are less comprehensive, more generously rate him at #21. Even still that’s well below what’s needed to lead a team all the way. Yes, the previous Ravens team to win a Super Bowl had Trent Dilfer at quarterback. Dilfer however performed far more efficiently than Flacco has in 2011. Dilfer completed 59.3 percent of his passes in that Super Bowl season; Flacco has only managed to complete 49.3 percent at the quarter pole. Houston’s talented secondary will look to exploit that inaccuracy on Sunday.

The verdict
The Texans may not need to hit 10 wins to win the AFC South but they won’t be taking any chances this season. Gary Kubiak knows that a second straight defeat would plant seeds of doubt amongst his troops. The Texans know how to target Baltimore. This won’t be the first time the Houston defense has to step up to earn a win and it won’t be the last either. There may be no Andre Johnson but I like the Texans defense to out-Baltimore the Ravens and win as +7.5 underdogs.