Lamar Jackson will attempt to overcome his postseason demons when his top-seeded Baltimore Ravens host the fourth-seeded Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round of the 2024 NFL playoffs on Saturday. The 2019 NFL MVP who is a strong contender for the award this season, Jackson is 1-3 with three touchdown passes, five interceptions and two lost fumbles in his playoff career with Baltimore (13-4), which did not have its star quarterback in last year's wild-card loss to Cincinnati due to injury. Houston (11-7) has lost four straight meetings with the Ravens, including a 25-9 setback in its 2023 season opener, but cruised past Cleveland 45-14 last weekend for its fourth win in five games.
Kickoff from M&T Bank Stadium is set for 4:30 p.m. ET. Baltimore is a 9.5-point favorite in the latest Ravens vs. Texans odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 43.5. Before locking in any Texans vs. Ravens picks, you need to see the latest NFL predictions from SportsLine's proven projection model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters the divisional round of the 2024 NFL playoffs on an incredible 183-129 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season. It is also on a 37-21 roll on top-rated picks since Week 7 of last season and nailed seven straight top-rated picks entering the 2024 NFL playoffs.
The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94% of CBS Sports Football Pick'em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has zeroed in on Ravens vs. Texans and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can see the model's picks only at SportsLine. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Texans vs. Ravens:
- Texans vs. Ravens spread: Baltimore -9.5
- Texans vs. Ravens over/under: 43.5 points
- Texans vs. Raven money line: Baltimore -451, Houston +348
- BAL: Ravens are 9-3 against the spread in their last 12 playoff games
- HOU: Texans are 7-2 ATS in their last nine contests as underdogs
- Texans vs. Ravens picks: See picks here
- Texans vs. Ravens live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why the Ravens can cover
Jackson set a career-high this season with 3,678 passing yards and led Baltimore in rushing for the fifth consecutive year with 821 yards. The 27-year-old sat out the team's final game but was superb in his last outing as he completed 18-of-21 attempts for 321 yards and five touchdowns, which matched his personal best. Running back Gus Edwards also had an impressive campaign as he set a career high with 810 rushing yards and tied for fifth in the NFL with 13 TD runs.
Edwards and Jackson helped the Ravens become the top-ranked rushing team in the league as they averaged 156.5 yards per contest. Baltimore was sixth in total offense (370.4 yards) and also was strong on the other side of the ball, finishing sixth in total defense (301.4 yards allowed) and passing defense (191.9) while leading the NFL in points allowed (16.5) and sacks (60). The club registered five sacks against Houston in the season opener while Justice Hill recorded his first two touchdown runs since 2019. See which team to pick here.
Why the Texans can cover
Houston had no trouble against the NFL's top-ranked defense last week as it scored the final 35 points of the game en route to a 45-14 triumph over Cleveland in the wild-card round. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud threw three touchdown passes in the victory, giving him 21 scoring tosses and just two interceptions against teams with a winning record. The 22-year-old set NFL playoff single-game records for a rookie with a 76.2 completion percentage, an average of 13 yards per attempt and a 157.2 passer rating and tied the rookie mark for TD passes.
The Texans also came up with a big defensive performance against Cleveland. Ranked sixth against the run during the regular season (96.6 yards allowed), Houston was even better versus the Browns, limiting them to 56 yards on the ground. The Texans also became the seventh team in postseason history and first since Seattle in 2007 to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game as cornerback Steven Nelson (82 yards) and linebacker Christian Harris (36) accomplished the feat on back-to-back drives by Cleveland in the third quarter. Nelson recorded one of his career high-tying four interceptions during the regular season against Baltimore. See which team to pick here.
How to make Ravens vs. Texans picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over the total, predicting 44 total points. The model also says one side of the spread cashes in more than 50% of simulations. You can see the model's NFL picks and analysis only at SportsLine.
So who wins Ravens vs. Texans in the NFL playoffs 2024, and which side of the spread cashes over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Ravens vs. Texans spread you should jump on, all from the advanced model on a 183-129 roll on NFL picks, and find out.
