Ravens Get BTA by Texans, 44–10

Ronnie Kron / @MegaKron45

A team I thought was one of the weaker squads in the AFC — the Houston Texans — came out looking like The Avengers on Sunday afternoon. Their opening drive went 67 yards, capped off with a touchdown to Xavier Hutchinson.

The Ravens, on the other hand, never found a rhythm all day. Cooper Rush showed exactly why he’s been cut by Dallas — twice.

He threw for just 179 yards and three interceptions. Houston stacked the box and shut down our only healthy threat, Derrick Henry, who finished with 15 carries for 33 yards and a lone touchdown.

Baltimore’s defense forced the Texans to punt just once — late in the fourth quarter. It was painful to watch.

Sure, injuries have played a major role in this collapse, but even when healthy, this defense hasn’t done much.

For perspective, the legendary 2000 Ravens defense gave up only 160 points in 16 games en route to a Super Bowl. This year’s defense has already surrendered 177 points — in just five games.

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Ravens Review

If this season keeps trending in the same direction, these weekly write-ups might become hard to stomach. Missing key players like Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, Lamar Jackson, Pat Ricard, and Ronnie Stanley has clearly taken its toll.

You know when I realized we’d hit rock bottom as Ravens fans? When they honored Ja Rule at the game. The end of his rap career feels a lot like our first five games — a total collapse.

The Ravens were Ja Rule, and the Texans were 50 Cent: completely dominant in every aspect. Can’t run. Can’t pass. Can’t make field goals. Can’t tackle.

Still, amidst all the negativity, there’s a silver lining — the AFC North is bad.

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The Division Outlook

I got to watch the entire division this weekend (except for Pittsburgh, who had a bye). The Bengals are struggling — even with Joe Burrow. The Browns are being the Browns.

The Ravens are injury-depleted. But with an early-season win over Cleveland and a chance to get healthy, Baltimore still has a path to take the AFC North.

Pittsburgh isn’t unbeatable. There’s time to right the ship — but that clock is ticking fast.

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Lamar’s Backup Situation

Cooper Rush. Why?

Eric DeCosta should’ve gone out and found someone who fits Lamar Jackson’s play style — a true dual-threat quarterback. No one will ever replace Lamar, but at least find a backup who doesn’t require the entire playbook to be rewritten. Rush and Lamar are complete opposites.

We need a Marcus Mariota–Jayden Daniels type setup — two mobile QBs with similar skill sets. If Mariota can still run a little and manage the game, everything stays consistent.

And honestly, I bet Shedeur Sanders is second-guessing himself after telling Baltimore he didn’t want to be drafted here. Didn’t want to sit behind a two-time MVP and learn? Now he’s third-string after they benched Flacco. How’s that working out, Shedeur?

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The Road Ahead

The Ravens host a tough L.A. Rams team next week before a much-needed bye. Hopefully, Baltimore can pull off the upset, rest up, and get key players back to make a real push for the AFC North crown.

If everyone returns healthy and the losing still continues, expect coaching changes. I won’t dive too deep into that yet — it’s not fair to Harbaugh or the coordinators given the injury situation. Let’s revisit this midseason and see where things stand.

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Stats & Player of the Game

Cooper Rush: 14/20, 179 yards, 3 INTs

Derrick Henry: 15 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD

Zay Flowers: 5 receptions, 72 yards

DeAndre Hopkins: 2 receptions, 46 yards

Player of the Game: Ja Rule.

Why not? No one else did anything, and he hasn’t done anything in years — seems fitting.

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The Ravens host the Rams this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium at 1:00 p.m.