Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens Matchup Preview (9/20/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

The Texans started the season playing the defending Super Bowl champions and now have to face the former #1 AFC Seed, Ravens. Lamar Jackson looked unstoppable Week 1 and the Ravens looked to build on their success and bring home another win. All eyes will be on the QB matchup of Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson this Sunday.

For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, September 20th, 2020
Time: 4:25 PM ET
Location: M&T Banks Stadium – Baltimore, Maryland
TV Coverage: CBS

Texans vs. Ravens Live Stream

Where can you watch Texans vs Ravens online? You can stream this game and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Texans vs. Ravens Free Online Now.

Injuries:

Houston Texans:
Baltimore Ravens:

Houston Texans Analysis

The Texans struggled to really get going on offense after an initial great drive that relied heavily on David Johnson. This game is going to be much harder on this offense and Bill O’Brian will need to come up with one heck of a game plan if the Texans are going to have any chance in this matchup.

Will Fuller was the featured guy on the receiving game reeling in 8 receptions on 10 targets, in a game where he looked to be a little rusty. Watson is once again going to have to heavily rely on his speed threats of Fuller and Cooks to make big plays in this game to keep up with the efficient Baltimore offense. A big part of this facet of the game succeeding for Texans will be how the offensive line holds up against a great Baltimore pass rush. If they can give Watson time then he can keep the Texans in this game.

On the ground, David Johnson is going to have to pull off some magic. This LB core for the Ravens is elite, and their front 3 is no joke. DJ is going to have to turn back the clock a few years for him to do anything productive in this game. However, if he can somehow crack some runs open and get just a couple chunk plays it might be enough to relieve some of that devastating pass rush on Watson.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Texans looked okay, not great in their game against the Chiefs. Normally I would say simply throw that game out because it is Patrick Mahomes and it is hard to judge anyone against that generationally good offense. Well, they are playing the Ravens, who in their own right may set records on offense. Lamar Jackson, JK Dobbins, Mark Ingram is a fierce three-headed monster that could rack up ridiculous yards in this game. JJ Watt is a worry for me due to his lack of speed, and I can see the Ravens abusing that lack of speed and rushing all over this defense.

In the air, stopping the huge plays to Hollywood Brown will be a must if the Texans have any shot. The next most important duty will be stopping Mark Andrews from terrorizing the Texans over the middle. This duty will fall on Zach Cunningham and Benardrick McKinney, who I think are both up for the task. It would be a great place to have a little win on Sunday, and the 1st of many that will be needed to bring home the big W.

Houston Texans Depth Chart

QB: Deshaun Watson
RB1: David Johnson
RB2: Duke Johnson
WR1: Will Fuller
WR2: Brandin Cooks
WR3: Randall Cobb
TE: Darren Fells

Baltimore Ravens Analysis

The Ravens looked even better than last year in their opener against the Browns. The defense took a couple of drives to completely gel but then looked great, while the offense and Lamar Jackson looked as good as ever. Ravens fans have to be excited after that Week 1 and ready to take on Watson in Week 2.

Lamar Jackson did not just look like a solid dual-threat QB. He made throws that few NFL QBs can make in this league, on top of running for 45 yards on only 7 attempts. If Lamar really is this good, I am not sure how any team stops them. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown built off of where he left off last year, burning the Browns’ D on pretty much every route. In this game against just as weak of a secondary, I expect fireworks from these two and look to them to open this game up.

On the ground, JK Dobbins got a bit more work than expected, especially on the goalline coming home with two TDs on 7 carries. Dobbins played well and he was not even utilized where he can do the most damage, between the 20s on screens and zone runs. The Ravens hardly had to use their #1 RB Mark Ingram to put the Browns away, but I think will lean on him a bit more in this game against Houston. Expect the Ravens to attack the edges of the defense, as the slow DLine play of the Texans will be a problem.

On the defensive side of the ball Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, and Jimmy Smith will have to be ready for the blazing speed of the Houston WR core. I do think that it will be key for Calais Campbell and company to get pressure on Watson to stop the deep targets downfield. Helping out this secondary by eliminating the downfield throws due to limited pocket time would make the defense’s task much, much easier.

Patrick Queen looked good in his debut and he will be part of the squad responsible for controlling David Johnson, who looked surprisingly good in his Week 1 matchup. I do think that this front 7 can handle it. If they plug up David Johnson’s running lanes it is still yet to be seen if he can make people miss, or run routes like he used to.

Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart

QB: Lamar Jackson
RB1: Mark Ingram
RB2: J.K. Dobbins
WR1: Marquise Brown
WR2: Willie Snead
WR3: Miles Boykin
TE: Mark Andrews

Betting Corner Ravens -6

Odds:
Spread: BAL -6
Moneyline: BAL -330 | HOU +270
Over/Under: 50

Picks:
Spread: BAL -6
Moneyline: BAL -330
Over/Under: Over

I do not see any facet of this game where the Texans have the upper hand. With the explosive nature of the Ravens’ offense I could see this getting just as ugly as week one against the Chiefs. Lamar Jackson will most likely have free reign in this game to do whatever he wants as there is just not enough speed on the Texans’ defense. I also like the Ravens’ defense to match up extremely well against the Texans but I think that garbage time leads to this game hitting the over.

Prediction: 35-16 Ravens over the Texans

Daily Fantasy Picks

Lamar Jackson at $8,200 may have a good enough week to justify the insane cost. While there are a bunch of QBs I like this week, building a lineup with Jackson at the QB will always feel good. Against this Houston defense I think that it may be the right play. I project an even stronger day on the ground for him as well as the same passing numbers we saw in Week 1.

JK Dobbins at $5,100 might end up being a fantastic play if he continues to get good workload. Like I mentioned I am worried about the Texans’ lack of the speed on the defense. Dobbins could burn this team for huge chunk plays if he is used in between the 20s. As well as the fact that we saw Baltimore apparently loves to use him inside the 10 and on the goaline. A great budget play to make a lineup work at this price.

Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown at $6,200 is still a good play, though I do not love him. He should be good for another 80-120 yards, but needs a TD to really be valuable at this price. Will Fuller for $6,300 is probably a safer player considering that he will get a huge target share in DKs PPR format and should end up with around the same number of yards.