HOUSTON — A security guard outside NRG stadium greeted fans joyously Wednesday afternoon, bellowing, “We got the greatest QB nationwide … Merry Christmas!” as fans made their way inside for what was billed as a blockbuster showdown between AFC division leaders, the Ravens and Texans.
He was referring to the home team’s C.J. Stroud, but by the time the lights went dark for Beyoncé’s sparkling halftime performance, it was Lamar Jackson who dimmed and then turned out the lights on Houston’s chances.
“Alien Superstar” wasn’t one of the hits she played, but its lyrics seemed apropos: “I’m number one. I’m the only one. Don’t even waste your time trying to compete with me.”
Already leading 17-2 on the Ravens’ opening possession of the second half, Jackson kept the ball on a run-pass option, raced through a gaping hole in the right side of the line and ran untouched into the end zone 48 yards later. A few carries later on their next series, he dashed into history, eclipsing Michael Vick’s NFL record of 6,109 career rushing yards for a quarterback.
Jackson finished 10-of-15 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 87 yards and one score on four carries before giving way to backup Josh Johnson in the fourth quarter as visiting Baltimore blew out Houston, 31-2.
Most importantly for the Ravens (11-5), the victory puts them alone atop the AFC North with one game left in the regular season after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the suddenly floundering Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the day. Remarkably, Baltimore went from two games back of Pittsburgh coming off its bye week earlier this month to a game in front.
And the Ravens did it with three victories in just 11 days, their latest being their most impressive.
Leaning on running back Derrick Henry (147 yards, one touchdown on 27 carries) on the game’s opening series and behind an offensive line that blew open gaping holes all game, the NFL’s second-leading rusher carried five times for 26 yards, including from 2 yards out for his first touchdown in four games. It was also his 17th of the season, breaking the single-season franchise record set by Ray Rice (2011) and Mark Ingram II (2019).
It was also a sign of things to come — for the Ravens’ ground game and its NFL Most Valuable Player candidate at quarterback.
Baltimore’s next drive stalled at the Texans’ 34-yard line, but it didn’t matter, with kicker Justin Tucker looking like his old self as he easily made a 52-yard field goal for a 10-0 first-quarter lead.
The Ravens dominated the opening stanza in just about every way possible but especially on the ground, with Henry accounting for 86 of the Ravens’ 143 total yards. Houston, meanwhile, was held to just 27 yards for a woeful 2.9 yards per play to Baltimore’s 8.4.
Things only got worse from there for the Texans.
After Henry was dropped in the end zone by defensive back Kamari Lassiter for a safety early in the second quarter, it looked like momentum was about to shift. But on fourth-and-goal from Baltimore’s 4-yard line on the next series, cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Ar’Darius Washington converged on Houston running back Joe Mixon and drilled him out of bounds at the 1, snuffing out any chance of a potential game-tying score.
Then the Ravens’ offense did what it always seems to do of late — move the ball by the chunk.
Henry ran for 7 yards. Rashod Bateman caught a 12-yard pass. Jackson scrambled away from pressure and hit Zay Flowers for a gain of 16. Henry ran for 5 more. Then Jackson eluded more pressure and found his security blanket, Mark Andrews, on a lob down the right sideline, with the tight end stiff-arming a defender and rumbling 67 yards before being dragged down at the Texans’ 13.
Two plays later, Jackson did it again, eluding the defense, rolling right and throwing back to his left — perhaps an appropriate ode to the halftime act — for a touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely to put the Ravens up 17-2.
The Texans got the ball back but on a fourth-and-2 from the Ravens’ 43 with 1:18 remaining in the half, they opted to punt, drawing a chorus of boos from the crowd.
Both teams had run 31 plays in the first half, but that’s where the similarities ended.
The Ravens outgained the Texans, 261 yards to 125. They averaged 8.4 yards per play to their 4.0. They had 117 rushing yards to Houston’s 28. Jackson threw for 144 yards to Stroud’s 97. Baltimore was perfect in the red zone, scoring twice, while the Texans were 0 for 1. Then, less than two minutes into the second half, Jackson put the game out of reach before he put the cherry on top, capping a 10-play, 62-yard drive with another touchdown strike to Andrews.
Baltimore’s ascendant defense, meanwhile, stifled the Texans all game, holding Stroud to 17-of-31 passing for 185 yards while sacking him five times. The Ravens’ run defense, which came into the game No. 1 in the league in yards allowed and yards allowed per attempt, also shut down Mixon (26 yards on nine carries).
Now the Ravens will get a few days off before preparing for their regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium on either Jan. 4 or 5. If Baltimore wins that game, it will wrap up the AFC North title and likely the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, which would guarantee them a wild-card game at home in the first round of the postseason.