Houston Texans (9-7) – Baltimore Ravens (11-5): 2-31
If the race for MVP is going to be fought to the end with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson has just made the task a little more complicated for the jury for the best player trophy. On this Christmas Eve, Lamar Jackson managed a whopping 10/15 passes, 168 yards and two touchdowns. But also 87 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The icing on the gift: Lamar Jackson became the quarterback with the most yards gained on the ground in history. He is now ahead in front of the legendary Michael Vick. He's the real star of the match, sorry Béyoncé.
The whole game was a recital for the Ravens quarterback. But the final nail in Houston’s coffin? This 48-yard run for a touchdown after returning from the locker room. And this while the Ravens were already leading 17-2. In addition to this race, Lamar Jackson succeeded in several tricks of which he has the secret. Notably with a touchdown thrown for Isaiah Likely after 8 seconds of possession spent making the Houston defenders dance.
If Lamar Jackson looked like a gift-delivering Santa Claus tonight, his hobby horse… rather his battle reindeer was Derrick Henry. The runner gained 147 yards rushing on 23 carries. He scored a touchdown and largely contributed to his team's success tonight.
CJ Stroud's wall
If the Ravens were successful, they had some difficulties, mainly thanks to the excellent defense of the Texans and DeMeco Ryans. Lamar Jackson was well put under pressure, Henry was even the victim of a rare tackle in his end zone for a safety. The task was just too complicated for them in this match but they did not fail.
It's on offense that we really worry about the Texans, however. We knew that CJ Stroud's season (17/31, 185 yards, 1 int) was far from what he had shown during his rookie year in 2023. But if players often face a “second year wall”, CJ Stroud's looks like the Great Wall of China. The Texans quarterback missed a number of throws that seemed within his reach. And the offensive play calls, sometimes over-phoned, sometimes poorly executed, didn't help.
In the 4e quarter-time, John Harbaugh released his starters to protect them for the playoffs. DeMeco Ryans too. If it's not official yet, the Ravens have made a giant leap toward the lead in the AFC North division. And a wild card game at home. For the Texans, it was already won. But this Houston team is starting to look more and more like a good draw for the possible future opponent that could be the Steelers.
