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.
Ryans called Ward's injury a "mid-foot sprain."
"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."
Later Monday, the Texans found out they were going to get quarterback C.J. Stroud another weapon when they claimed former Baltimore receiver, Diontae Johnson, on waivers. The Chargers also put in a claim for Johnson, who'll be playing for his fourth team – Steelers, Panthers, Ravens and Texans, including three this season.
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.
"Lamar's playing some of the best football he's played," Ryans said. "He jumps off the tape as the best player I've seen this year.
"He's definitely the MVP in my mind just for what he's doing not only in the run game but also throwing the football. The accuracy, the decision-making -- he's playing unbelievable ball right now, so it's going to be a really tough challenge for us."
Jackson is playing better than during his two MVP seasons. He has 3,787 yards, a 67.9 completion percentage, 37 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 120.6 rating. He also averages 8.9 yards per attempt. All are career bests with two games to play.
"What jumps off the tape is how accurate he is," Ryans said. "He has a lot of weapons, and he's distributing the football very well (and) making good decisions with the football.
"He's just an unbelievable talent, and he jumps off the tape as one of the best players in our league."
Wednesday will be the 14th time the Texans have played against Henry. He's reached 100 yards rushing against them six times, including four consecutive games with at least 200.
In 2023, his last season with the Titans, the Texans swept Tennessee and limited Henry to 12 carries for 17 yards in the first game and 12 for 31 in the second game.
"With them adding Derrick, I think their offense has changed significantly with what they're able to do," Ryans said. "They're an explosive unit (and) I think they're able to run the football even better. He's having an outstanding year."
In 15 games, Henry has 278 carries for 1,636 yards (5.9 average) and 13 touchdowns. He also has 15 catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
"I think Derrick has found that Fountain of Youth," Ryans said. "He's playing fast and physical (and) he's tough as ever. Looks like the old Derrick Henry -- very powerful.
"He has it all – the speed and physicality – (and) he brings it all. The O-line's doing a good job of giving him some nice lanes to run through. It's going to be a difficult matchup when it comes to stopping the run game, probably the best run unit we've seen all year."
Not only do the Ravens lead the NFL in rushing, but they're also first against the run. The Texans have struggled to run the ball lately.
"They're a tough unit to run against, starting with their defensive line – a big, stout defensive line," Ryans said. "Guys do a great job of filling their gaps and knowing where they're supposed to be on the second level.
"They make it tough to run against them, and then they can play sticky coverage. And they've done a great job of eliminating the explosives."
After their 0-2 start, the Ravens are 10-3. After a 5-1 start, the Texans are 4-5. Baltimore is a big-time Super Bowl contender with lots of playoff experience under Head Coach Jim Harbaugh.
The Texans will have to play a perfect game to beat Jackson for the first time and keep the Ravens from extending their winning streak to six games.
"It's going to take everyone," Ryans said. "It'll be a collective effort."
