Texans vs. Ravens: Ray Rice Will Carry Baltimore to an Easy Victory

Ray Rice is going to bring the Houston Texans' season to a screeching halt. The talented running back is the key to Baltimore's success, and the Texans will not be able to keep him from that success. 

Rice has been held to 57 or fewer yards rushing five times this season. Four of those were Ravens losses. Not coincidentally, the Ravens have lost four games this year. 

If Ray Rice can run the ball, the Ravens will win. Here is why Rice is going to be able to run the ball. 

First Meeting

These two teams met back in Week 6. Baltimore won that game, 29-14. In that game, Rice rushed for 101 yards on 23 carries. 

That 4.4 yards per carry exactly split the difference between the Texans' and Rice's averages. Houston allowed 4.1 yards per carry this season, and Rice gained 4.7 yards per carry. 

This certainly doesn't guarantee that he will have identical results, but it does show that those results weren't a fluke, and that we can expect similar production if Rice is given enough touches. 

The touches will not be an issue.

Baltimore's Increased Commitment to the Run

In the first part of the season, Baltimore had a baffling, self-defeating tendency to quickly abandon the run. Rice had 13 or fewer carries in five games this season. Four of those came in their first nine games. 

The only instance that came after those nine games was in a loss to the Chargers in which they fell behind big early and their hand was forced. 

That was the only game in the last seven where Rice did not get at least 20 carries. He only had 20 or more carries in two of his first nine games. 

The Ravens appeared to have finally gotten the message that riding Rice was their key to success. 

Prediction

Rice is going to get plenty of work in this game. He will end with 25 carries for 115 yards, and he'll throw in a touchdown for good measure. 

This will allow the Ravens to keep their offense on the field, and also limit Joe Flacco's exposure to possible game-changing turnovers. 

This is going to be far too much for the Texans offense, and their rookie QB, to overcome. 

Ravens win, 23-10.