The Houston Texans will head to M&T Bank Stadium to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round. We're here to share our NFL odds series, make a Texans-Ravens prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.

The Texans dominated the Cleveland Browns 45-14 on Wildcard Weekend. Initially, it was 10-7 after the first quarter. The Texans built themselves a 24-14 halftime lead. Eventually, they pulled away in the third quarter. CJ Stroud passed for 274 yards with three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Devin Singletary rushed 13 times for 66 yards and a score. Nico Collins had six receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, Breven Jordan caught his one pass for a 76-yard touchdown. Dalton Schultz had one catch on two targets for 37 yards and a touchdown. Moreover, the defense had four sacks and two interceptions.

The Ravens come into this game as the number 1-seed. Ultimately, they went 13-4 by going 6-3 at home and 7-1 on the road. Lamar Jackson is ready to rock. Amazingly, Mark Andrews may return this weekend after missing the last month of the season with a cracked fibula.

The Ravens lead the head-to-head series 9-2. Furthermore, they won the only playoff matchup the teams have had, with the Ravens defeating the Texans 20-13 in the AFC Divisional Round on January 15, 2012. The Ravens defeated the Texans 23-9 in Week 1.

Here are the Packers-Cowboys NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

AFC Divisional Round Odds: Texans-Ravens Odds

Houston Texans; +9.5 (-118)

Moneyline: +330

Baltimore Ravens: -9.5 (-104)

Moneyline: -420

Over: 43.5 (-110)

Under: 43.5 (-110)

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Why The Texans Could Cover The Spread

The Texans are probably the biggest underdog out of all the teams that are playing this weekend. Yet, they finally have a quarterback that could make a difference and shock the entire landscape of the NFL. ‘

Stroud is 3-1 against playoff teams. Additionally, he averaged 323 yards passing in those games. But the Texans will need to flex what they have. Thus, they need the player who has the most playoff experience to show up. Singletary has rushed 71 times for 301 yards and three touchdowns through eight playoff games. Ultimately, the Texans need him to be their next-best player aside from Stroud. It's important for the Texans to establish the running game to avoid falling into a large hole on the road.

The Texans need to do this because they are 0-5 on the road in the playoffs. Furthermore, everyone remembers the 2020 playoffs when they held a 24-0 lead against the Chiefs and could not hold on and lost to the Chiefs at Arrowhead. The Texans need to do all they can on offense to control the clock. Likewise, they have to force Jackson to stay in the pocket for the defense to have a legitimate chance. The return of Andrews may make things slightly more challenging.

The Texans will cover the spread if they can establish the ground game and run the ball efficiently. Next, they need to keep Jackson contained and not let him run.

Why The Ravens Could Cover The Spread

There is more pressure on the Ravens than any other team in the playoffs, aside from maybe the 49ers. Somehow, they are 3-4 at home in the playoffs through their team history, losing many games where they were the top seed.

Jackson is 1-3 in the playoffs. First, he lost the 2019 AFC Wildcard Game 23-17 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jackson then lost 28-12 in the 2020 AFC Divisional Round as the top seed in a pathetic loss to the Tennessee Titans. Then, Jackson avenged the loss by winning 20-13 on the road in the wildcard round the following season against the Titans. But they fell flat in the following round, losing 17-3 against the Buffalo Bills. Jackson has a career playoff passer rating of 68.3 with 900 yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions.

The Ravens need him to do well to set up a possible showdown with the Bills (or the Kansas City Chiefs). Additionally, they need their other players to shine. Gus Edwards is key, coming into this game with a career playoff mark of 41 rushes for 162 yards. Mark Andrews has 20 catches for 212 yards but is still searching for his first career playoff touchdown. However, everyone should watch what Odell Beckham Jr. does. Beckham has 25 catches for 316 yards and two touchdowns through five playoff games. Significantly, he was a big reason the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl a few seasons ago before suffering a torn ACL. Zay Flowers will be the other wildcard. How will he fare in his first playoff game?

The Ravens will cover the spread if Jackson can find a lot of running room and make key passes to give the Ravens the lead early. Then, they will need their defense to find a way to slow down Stroud.

Final Texans-Ravens Prediction & Pick

The Ravens are the better team. However, one must be wary of the struggles Jackson has had in the past. Is he ready to put them behind him? We think he finally is.

Final Texans-Ravens Prediction & Pick: Baltimore Ravens: -9.5 (-104)