With an important matchup with the Ravens looming on Sunday, here are some key notes, facts and figures to share with friends, family and those around the water cooler today.
Since Week 5, the Ravens and the Texans rank first and second, respectively, in points per game and rushing yards per game.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson are the only two quarterbacks with a 100+ passer rating and 5+ rushing touchdowns this season.
In addition, these two signal callers are the first quarterbacks in NFL HISTORY with 15+ passing touchdowns, 5+ rushing touchdowns and a 100+ passer rating over their team's first nine games of a season.
Jackson had a perfect passer rating last week at Cincinnati, the second time that he's accomplished that feat this season (Week 1 against Miami). He threw the ball only 17 times and threw more touchdowns (three) than incompletions (two). When Watson had a perfect passer rating (158.3) against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5, he threw the ball 33 times in that game with as many passing touchdowns (five) as incompletions (five).
The Texans defense is second in the league in rushing touchdowns allowed (0.3 per game), having yielded only three rushing touchdowns all season. Furthermore, they haven't given up a rushing touchdown since Week 5 (Matt Ryan, Atlanta).
On the other hand, the Ravens have 15 rushing touchdowns through nine games, which leads the NFL. Immovable object vs. irresistible force sort of thing, huh?
Mark Ingram has eight rushing touchdowns in nine games. Other than the 12 rushing touchdowns that Ingram had in 2017 for the New Orleans Saints, he only surpassed that total in a season once (nine in 2014).
The Texans haven't beaten the Ravens in Baltimore since their inception. The Ravens haven't beaten the Texans in Houston since 2010. Home teams have ruled this matchup this decade.
With our buddy Andre Ware in the booth to call this game, no NFL game this weekend will have as many Heisman Trophy winners in the building as this one. The Ravens have three in the backfield - Jackson, Robert Griffin III and Ingram and Ware makes four in the building on Sunday. There were four on the field when the Ravens played the Cardinals earlier this season (Kyler Murray) and when they played the Browns (Baker Mayfield).
Each and every week, there are always crossover players - those that played for one team then face that team somewhere down the line. In London against the Jaguars, there were many on either sideline (Carlos Hyde, A.J. Bouye as examples). In a weird twist, there are no former Texans on the Ravens roster and no former Ravens on the Texans roster.
There is a former University of Houston Cougar, though, on the Ravens roster - linebacker Tyus Bowser.
Alright, that'll do it. Big one on Sunday with huge ramifications either way. See ya then, everyone.
