Christmas is supposed to be a fun time filled with joy and excitement. Sadly, outside of a well-received halftime show, there was none of that this year for those who watched the Houston Texans take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17.
Houston hosted the second game of the day as the NFL debuted on Netflix. The Texans had a golden opportunity to prove they belonged among the best in the AFC as they were hosting the Baltimore Ravens. Instead of showing they were contenders, the Texans were run out of the building, losing 31-2
Baltimore went 75 yards on the opening drive, capping that one off with a two-yard touchdown run from Derrick Henry. A 52-yard field goal from Justin Tucker made it 10-0, and the Texans followed that up with their best play of the game.
Kamari Lassiter recorded a safety when he took Henry down in the end zone, but that moment of joy was short-lived.
Houston's offense turned it over on downs at the Baltimore one-yard line on the ensuing drive and the Ravens responded by going 99 yards to make it a 17-2 game at the half. That drive was highlighted by a 67-yard catch and run by Mark Andrews.
In the blink of an eye, the Texans were down 31-2 and the road team had their backups running down the clock. The loss drops the Texans to 9-7 on the season while the Ravens improved to 11-5.
If there's any silver lining, it would be that Baltimore moved to the No. 3 seed and the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to No. 5. That means the Texans are set to face Pittsburgh in the playoffs, not the Ravens — if this seeding holds up.
Up next for the Texans
Houston has one final game this season and they have a lot of time to get ready for that. They close out the year with a Week 18 showdown with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. That game takes place on Sunday, Jan. 5.
