The Baltimore Ravens (10-5) visit the Houston Texans (9-6). This is the time of year when requests to calculate the endless NFL playoff scenarios would cause Stephen Hawking to say his speech synthesizer was on the fritz. Still, for Baltimore and Houston, the math is reasonably simple. Our Ravens vs Texans prediction is for favored Baltimore to cover the 5.5-point spread.
Head-to-head, Baltimore has dominated Houston winning 12 of the 14 matchups.
Offshore Odds: Baltimore is a Relatively Heavy Favorite
| Team | Spread | Money Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravens | -5.5 (-110) | -255 | O 46.5 (-108) |
| Texans | +5.5 (-110) | +215 | U 46.5 (-112) |
The Ravens Need Wins and Help to Take the AFC North
After Baltimore’s dominating 34-17 performance beating Pittsburgh in Week 16, their pathway to taking the AFC North is winning their last two games over Houston and Cleveland and hoping Pittsburgh loses one of their final two to Kansas City or Cincinnati.
When the Ravens take the field on Christmas Day, they will know whether the Steelers won or lost against the Chiefs.
The Ravens’ scoring machine is rolling along. They racked up 418 total yards against the Steelers. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was an efficient 15 for 23 with three touchdown passes. Derrick Henry rushed for 162 yards.
The Texans better be aware that the Ravens will not tolerate plays like Azzez Al-Shaair’s late hit on the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence for which he was suspended and Calen Bullock putting Dolphins’ wide receiver Grant Dubose in the hospital with a questionable hit.
Houston’s defense has been effective against both the pass and the run, but they are without Al-Shaair for one more game. Baltimore’s offense is somewhat depleted. Justice Hill and Nelson Agholor are questionable with concussions and Zay Flowers is navigating a foot injury.
The Texans Are (Basically) Stuck in Their Spot
The Texans are the AFC South champions. They are the number four seed and are guaranteed a home Wild Card playoff game. They could move up to the third seed if Pittsburgh loses their last two games and Houston beats Baltimore and Tennessee.
It’s certainly possible. And being the third seed would be beneficial. If they advance, they could get home games later in the playoffs. First, they must beat the Ravens.
With Tank Dell joining Stefon Diggs with knee injuries knocking them out for the season, C.J. Stroud is running out of targets and they will have trouble putting points on the board. Baltimore has allowed the fewest rushing yards in the league per game, so Joe Mixon will have an especially rough go until Stroud shows he can get the ball downfield.
Ravens vs Texans Prediction: Houston Will Have Trouble Scoring
Houston needs to hope that Beyoncé’s performance distracts Lamar Jackson so he throws the ball to the team in the wrong uniform. The QB has already said he’s going to watch the halftime show.
Apart from that, it’s hard to see Houston staying competitive. If they fall behind, they might capitulate for the greater good.
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