Gonna be out of town (near Gore Mountain) this weekend, and the internet is always spotty where we stay, so I'm gonna try to get as much possible posted as I can before we leave tomorrow afternoon.
Houston/Baltimore
The joy of handicapping a game 3-4 days in advance this time of year. As of now, they are expecting cold temps (mid-20's, but real feel in the single digits) Saturday afternoon. But, much more importantly... strong winds. 20 mph with gusts in the upper 30's.
That favors that team that can run the ball. But... which of these teams will be able to establish the run? Obviously you'd think it's Baltimore. They are 2nd in the league, averaging 4.9 yards/carry. But Gus Edwards only averages 4.1. They brought in Melvin Gordon, but in the last 2 games, he has 28 yards on 13 carries and a lost fumble. Justice Hill didn't even get a carry their last game, and hasn't done much outside of a few big runs here and there. Their run game is pretty much Jackson at this point. On the other side of the ball, Houston is 2nd in the league, allowing just 3.5 yards/carry.
Houston has faced very few running qbs this year. Really just Richardson from Indy back in week 2 (and he had 35 yards and 2 TDs on 3 carries before getting hurt) and Jackson back in week 1. Jackson ran for 38 yards on 6 carries in a game that really wasn't close after halftime. However... he had 2 fumbles (losing 1). That may be a theme on a frigid day. Only 4 teams lost more fumbles than Baltimore. Jackson has always been careless with the ball.
Ok, Jackson in the playoffs (Jack, you may want to avert your eyes). He is 1-3. But let's start with the positive... he may be better than Dak!! Ok, in all seriousness, he has one outstanding stat... in 4 playoff games, he's run 54 times for 367 yards (6.8/rush). But when he throws the ball... in those 4 starts, he's completed 56% of his passes and averaged 6.6 yards/att with 3 TDs and 5 INTs. And he had his security blanket (Mark Andrews) for all those games. Now, Andrews is practicing and they haven't ruled him out for this weekend. But coming off an ankle injury... combined with these temps... and even if he does play, nobody's going to be able to throw the ball in those winds.
Ok, Houston offensively... first of all, no, I'm not impressed with CJ Stroud yet. If anyone was paying attention, you know he missed 2 WIDE open receivers for easy TDs last week. And just about every big throw he did hit... again, WIDE open receivers. Now you have a rookie making his first road playoff start against one of the best pass defenses in the league. Of course, Cleveland was statistically very similar to Baltimore. No idea what happened last week. But outdoors... in that wind... there will be an even bigger premium on accuracy. Stroud was ok in his debut at Baltimore, completing 28 of 44 for 242 with 0 TDs and 0 INTs. They did sack him 5 times, and Baltimore went on to lead the league in sacks.
Houston's ground game is one of the worst in the league, averaging 3.7 yards/carry. At least Singletary played in a few cold games at Buffalo. Dameon Pierce has been a complete non-factor, averaging 2.9/carry. Baltimore's defense is vulnerable to the run, giving up 4.5 yards/rush (25th).
So on one side, we have a Houston offense that relies on the passing game against a defense that is excellent against the pass, but struggles against the run.
On the other side, we have Lamar Jackson.
I don't see how either team is going to consistently move the ball. The only reliable weapon, especially considering the weather, is Jackson's legs. And he's likely to drop the ball at least once.
Houston (+9.5) 4 units
Houston (ML) 2 to win 6.8
Houston 1H (+6.5) 4 units
Under (43.5) 10 units (Right after typing this, I accidently closed the tab while trying to click on a different tab. Talk about absolute panic. I thought I lost all this. Luckily this site saved a draft!!! Of course, now I gotta hope that wasn't a sign from the gambling gods.)
Baltimore TT under (27.5) 10 to win 8 Baltimore hasn't scored more than 20 in Jackson's playoff starts.
1Q under (8.5) 6 units
Jackson over (53.5) rushing yards 9.2 to win 8
Jackson under (228.5) passing yards 4.6 to win 4
Stroud under (242.5) passing yards 4.6 to win 4
Houston D/ST to score a TD 2 to win 14
Houston/Baltimore
The joy of handicapping a game 3-4 days in advance this time of year. As of now, they are expecting cold temps (mid-20's, but real feel in the single digits) Saturday afternoon. But, much more importantly... strong winds. 20 mph with gusts in the upper 30's.
That favors that team that can run the ball. But... which of these teams will be able to establish the run? Obviously you'd think it's Baltimore. They are 2nd in the league, averaging 4.9 yards/carry. But Gus Edwards only averages 4.1. They brought in Melvin Gordon, but in the last 2 games, he has 28 yards on 13 carries and a lost fumble. Justice Hill didn't even get a carry their last game, and hasn't done much outside of a few big runs here and there. Their run game is pretty much Jackson at this point. On the other side of the ball, Houston is 2nd in the league, allowing just 3.5 yards/carry.
Houston has faced very few running qbs this year. Really just Richardson from Indy back in week 2 (and he had 35 yards and 2 TDs on 3 carries before getting hurt) and Jackson back in week 1. Jackson ran for 38 yards on 6 carries in a game that really wasn't close after halftime. However... he had 2 fumbles (losing 1). That may be a theme on a frigid day. Only 4 teams lost more fumbles than Baltimore. Jackson has always been careless with the ball.
Ok, Jackson in the playoffs (Jack, you may want to avert your eyes). He is 1-3. But let's start with the positive... he may be better than Dak!! Ok, in all seriousness, he has one outstanding stat... in 4 playoff games, he's run 54 times for 367 yards (6.8/rush). But when he throws the ball... in those 4 starts, he's completed 56% of his passes and averaged 6.6 yards/att with 3 TDs and 5 INTs. And he had his security blanket (Mark Andrews) for all those games. Now, Andrews is practicing and they haven't ruled him out for this weekend. But coming off an ankle injury... combined with these temps... and even if he does play, nobody's going to be able to throw the ball in those winds.
Ok, Houston offensively... first of all, no, I'm not impressed with CJ Stroud yet. If anyone was paying attention, you know he missed 2 WIDE open receivers for easy TDs last week. And just about every big throw he did hit... again, WIDE open receivers. Now you have a rookie making his first road playoff start against one of the best pass defenses in the league. Of course, Cleveland was statistically very similar to Baltimore. No idea what happened last week. But outdoors... in that wind... there will be an even bigger premium on accuracy. Stroud was ok in his debut at Baltimore, completing 28 of 44 for 242 with 0 TDs and 0 INTs. They did sack him 5 times, and Baltimore went on to lead the league in sacks.
Houston's ground game is one of the worst in the league, averaging 3.7 yards/carry. At least Singletary played in a few cold games at Buffalo. Dameon Pierce has been a complete non-factor, averaging 2.9/carry. Baltimore's defense is vulnerable to the run, giving up 4.5 yards/rush (25th).
So on one side, we have a Houston offense that relies on the passing game against a defense that is excellent against the pass, but struggles against the run.
On the other side, we have Lamar Jackson.
I don't see how either team is going to consistently move the ball. The only reliable weapon, especially considering the weather, is Jackson's legs. And he's likely to drop the ball at least once.
Houston (+9.5) 4 units
Houston (ML) 2 to win 6.8
Houston 1H (+6.5) 4 units
Under (43.5) 10 units (Right after typing this, I accidently closed the tab while trying to click on a different tab. Talk about absolute panic. I thought I lost all this. Luckily this site saved a draft!!! Of course, now I gotta hope that wasn't a sign from the gambling gods.)
Baltimore TT under (27.5) 10 to win 8 Baltimore hasn't scored more than 20 in Jackson's playoff starts.
1Q under (8.5) 6 units
Jackson over (53.5) rushing yards 9.2 to win 8
Jackson under (228.5) passing yards 4.6 to win 4
Stroud under (242.5) passing yards 4.6 to win 4
Houston D/ST to score a TD 2 to win 14