John Eisenberg: The Texans fought hard for a team with a lot going against them, playing on the road, without two of their best players, against a winning team coming off a bye week. But the Ravens were just better in the end. They could have put this game away earlier, but by settling for field goals instead of touchdowns on four different drives, they allowed the Texans to hang around. But in the end, the Texans couldn’t sustain drives, and the Ravens had too much big-play firepower on offense. Yes, you read that right. Completions of 56 and 51 yards set up field goals, and a 27-yard run by Ray Rice set up the touchdown that put the game away. There were times when it felt like the Ravens were struggling on offense, but they ended up with more than 400 yards. If they continue to roll up that much on a weekly basis, they’re going to have a good season.
Ryan Mink: It wasn’t pretty but the Ravens got it done. Houston was still a very formidable team, despite not having Andre Johnson and Mario Williams. Baltimore found a way to put this game away versus a good team. Big plays in the passing game started it on offense and the run game took over from there. It’s not always going to look exactly how you want it to, but it’s a good sign that the Ravens won their first game that was close in the fourth quarter.
Sarah Ellison: The last matchup between these two needed an extra period after Houston outscored Baltimore 15-0 in the fourth quarter. Not this time. The Ravens learned their lesson. They outscored the Texans 13-0 in the last 15 minutes. Give credit to Houston for giving the Ravens a hard-fought battle despite not having their two best players – receiver Andre Johnson and outside linebacker Mario Williams. The Texans came in focused and were close to pulling off a big upset. Fourth-quarter defensive stops, Billy Cundiff’s leg, Anquan Boldin’s 132-yard day and Joe Flacco’s absolutely beautiful deep ball was enough to propel the Ravens to victory. The Ravens keep their season rolling at 4-1 with a Monday night game against the Jaguars up next.
