The Houston Texans will look to extend their win streak to two games when they visit the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5. One of the biggest storylines heading into Sunday afternoon's clash has been Lamar Jackson's health, as the Ravens quarterback injured his hamstring during Baltimore's Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and was initially expected to miss two to three weeks of action, according to the team site.
Much like the Texans, the Ravens are also sitting at 1-3 through four games, and their losing record could motivate them to play Jackson earlier than expected. NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed on Wednesday during an interview with the NFL Network that Baltimore's QB1 is "week-to-week" and will "try to play this week."
"My understanding is that his status for this Sunday's game is in doubt," Rapoport stated, via the NFL Network. "He had some tests on his hamstring, obviously was not able to finish the game last week...I would say it's more week-to-week now for Lamar Jackson. He's going to try to play this week. We'll see if he's able to go, but certainly a possibility that Cooper Rush could be the starter for the Baltimore Ravens."
Although Ravens fans might be excited by this development, Jackson's latest injury update is great news for the Texans' defense.
Texans Could Benefit from How Ravens Handle Lamar Jackson's Injury
There's no denying that Jackson is one of the league's top quarterbacks, proven by his being named the NFL MVP just two years ago. While going up against him would normally be bad news for any defense, the Texans likely won't mind if the Ravens force their franchise signal-caller to return from a hamstring issue, of all things, prematurely.
One of Jackson's most powerful weapons is his legs, so the fact that he might have a lingering hamstring injury would certainly limit his mobility. He was already averaging a career-low 41.5 rushing yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry after four games. Should this hamstring issue linger into the weekend, Jackson could struggle even matching that output this week if he isn't fully healthy.
Fortunately for the Texans, defensive coordinator Matt Burke's unit has performed well against the opposition's rushing attack this season. Houston is only allowing 102.3 rushing yards (12th) and 5.0 rushing first downs (9th) per game, and that's without mentioning how the team is also tied for surrendering the 10th-fewest yards to quarterbacks on the ground.
A less-than-100% Jackson is what the Texans need to get the best of the Ravens QB. The former Louisville Cardinal is 4-0 against Houston throughout his career, completing 72.9% of passes for 763 passing yards with seven touchdowns to one interception. On top of those impressive passing numbers, Jackson has also rushed the ball 36 times for 258 rushing yards and a score.
With that being said, the Texans' last trip to M&T Bank Stadium wasn't the worst in terms of how they handled Jackson. He only threw for 169 passing yards to go along with one INT, and a 79.5 passer rating in a 25-9 loss to the Ravens on Sept. 10, 2023. If Houston can replicate that success this weekend, the chances of an upset will improve.
Monitoring Jackson's health will be Texans fans' top priority in the coming days. Whether or not he plays, Houston's Week 5 outlook is promising.