NFL Playoffs: Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans and 5 Hot-to-Trot Tips

When the Houston Texans lost Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart, few thought they would be playing in the divisional round of the National Football League playoffs.

But here they are.

Much of that can be accredited to a tremendous defensive showing and the gutsy nature of one T.J. Yates, who despite not being the most fantastic quarterback, has led his team into the playoffs.

One may write a similar line about the Baltimore Ravens, who with their stout defense and gutsy quarterback, have made it to the playoffs once again.

Who will take home the points and who will simply go home?

Whether you're a diehard fan for either side or just an interested fan, here's your five hot-to-trot tips for the big game this weekend. Because, when it all comes down to it, whatever the result is, we're all going to feel better if our pockets are a little heavier.

Head-to-head

It's alarming how similar these two sides truly are, statistically speaking.

Offensively, both have strong running games and passing games that simply put, don't show up some weeks, but when they do, can match it with the best. Defensively speaking, both won't give you an inch, and will fight you for every yard that you want.

Yup, this one is going to be tight.

And despite watching the Houston Texans strongly take down the Cincinnati Bengals, I don't think they'll have enough to take down the Baltimore Ravens.

Firstly, the Ravens' defense is in a different league to the Bengals, who allowed Yates and Arian Foster to move down field without too much of a problem. They didn't pressure the rookie, and allowed him to settle. Expect Lewis and the Baltimore gang to give him far more pressure in this one.

When the two sides met earlier in the year, the Ravens took away the Texans running game, allowing Foster only 49 yards on 15 carries. If they can even come close to that performance again, the defense will win the game for the Ravens.

Secondly, the Houston running game won't gain the same traction in this one as it did last week. Arian Foster is one of the top runners in the league, and deservedly so, but he'll have to bring his A-game if he hopes to take down the Ravens. Again, Baltimore's defense is too tough.

And thirdly, this is in Baltimore. They went 8-0 this year at home, and have only lost once at home in the past two years. I know teams fire themselves up for the playoffs, and so they should, but one gets the feeling that Baltimore has been ready for this one for quite some time now.

The focus and aggression they swept the Pittsburgh Steelers with will be out on display in this game, and in a dog-fight, you always back the guy that can throw the best punches.

Prediction: Baltimore Ravens to win

Margin and spread

For all the talk about the strong Ravens defense, the Texans have shown throughout the year, and especially last week, that they are equally as strong against the pass and the run.

Just like the Ravens, they too are allowing less than 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing per game for an PPG average of 17.4. Add that to their 44 sacks and 17 interceptions for the year, and they look to be just as tough.

Thus with two strong defenses and two strong running games, the key focus sits with the passing game of each team. It seems that whatever quarterback shows up in the clutch will take home the points and send the other side home.

Despite completing less than 60 percent of his passes for the year and only throwing 20 touchdowns, Joe Flacco will be too good for his counterpart Yates. Be it experience, be it the home field, be it the offensive line or be it the strength of his receiving core; Joe Flacco will find a way to win this game.

People want to point out his losses to the likes of Jacksonville and Tennessee. True, he was terrible in those games, and I'm sure he'll be the first to point that out. But give me the quarterback with the experience and the proven record over the guy with potential. Potential is just what they tell kids that aren't good enough so they'll keep trying.

As for the spread, it sits around 7.5, so think of it as a touchdown. Can the Baltimore Ravens score more touchdowns than the Houston Texans? Can Ray Rice be more effective than Arian Foster and can the Ravens receivers make the big catches?

The answer for me, is yes.

Prediction: Baltimore Ravens to cover the spread (or to win by 7-12)

Total points for the game

After coming out at around 38 points, the over/under has now dropped down to around 35 points, which shows that the over/under came out far too high.

Whilst both sides are averaging around 23 points per game this year, it's the 16.6 points allowed from the Ravens and the 17.4 points allowed by the Houston Texans that will be the key factor in this one.

With neither side wanting to give away that huge play, expect both defensive units to be tough early. If both sides can avoid penalties or turnovers, the total points will stay very low in this one.

The only reason the Houston Texans scored so frequently last week was that Andy Dalton decided that he liked throwing it away from his receivers and straight in the arms of the Texan defenders. Don't expect Flacco to give up the ball that easy, and whilst we might see out fair share of three-and-outs, we won't be seeing a lot of points early.

The game may open up late, but not enough to trouble the over/under. In the unlikelihood that the game explodes early, I'm not sold on either side chasing down a big lead, so I'm confident in the over/under not being troubled.

Prediction: Under total points for the game (take anything down to around 36)

First scoring play of the game

As I said above, I'm thinking this one is going to be more of an arm-wrestle than the fireworks display that will be on display in the Patriots vs. Broncos game.

With both sides showing enough grit and class defensively, when someone does eventually get close, they'll come up with a big play and force the field-goal unit to come out.

For me, I think Wade Phillips and the Houston defense will shut down Baltimore early and force them to fight for this one. But I don't think the Texans will take full advantage of this smart play and will be stopped at a critical point by the Ravens.

And with that, it will be three points to the Texans.

Prediction: Houston Texans field goal as the first scoring play of the game

First touchdown scorer of the game

Because Houston will shut down Ray Rice and the running game early, Joe Flacco will be forced to throw the ball more, and will take more shots downfield than usual. Flacco completed an average amount of 20-plus yard throws this season, but was far more prolific in throws of 40-plus yards.

Part of that may be his receivers getting better throughout the season, and part of it may simply be that he is throwing with more accuracy. I feel it's a little bit of both.

What I'm trying to get at is that Flacco will throw it, and he'll throw it long, ruling out Boldin, who the Ravens like to use on slanting routes or sideline back-shoulder throws.

I've got a liking for Torrey Smith here. Some terrible drops throughout the season, but that game-winning catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the year may just have turned his year around.

Though not putting up phenomenal numbers, Smith will be the go-to guy for the long throw and if the Texans shut down Ray Rice, he might be their only hope. It's a little more value than usual, and might be worth the odds.

Prediction: Torrey Smith to score the first touchdown of the game

Read more articles by Dan here or follow him on Twitter: @dantalintyre