Did the Houston Texans shock a lot of BetOnline customers when they scored a decisive win over the Cleveland Browns in what was CJ Stroud's first playoff appearance? If so, perhaps they shouldn't have.

This looked like a team that was in it for the long run, but this week brings a whole different level of challange, as they have to leave the comforts of home and travel to face the Baltimore Ravens, the AFC's #1 seed.

These teams did meet at the outset of the season, when Stroud was suiting up for the first time as an NFL signal-caller, and the Ravens came away with a 25-9 win. But the Texans have come a long way since then, and so has Stroud, who has legitimately had an historic season for rookie passers, with only five interceptions in over 500 attempts.

But truth be told, the Ravens have come a long way as well. They were not looked upon as the best team in the NFL at the beginning, but they have bludgeoned their way to the top, by beating some of the league's most highly-regarded squads. In fact, they have scored ten different wins over teams with winning records, and their whippings of San Francisco and Miami toward the end of the schedule made them look more than just a little scary.

What Houston really has to be careful about is falling behind in the first half. The Ravens have outscored their opposition by 142 points in the first half, so if form holds up, the Texans are going to be playing from behind.

In the NFL playoff betting odds that have been posted on this 4:30 PM ET start by the people at BetOnline, the Ravens are sizable favorites:

Baltimore Ravens -9.5 (-113)
Houston Texans +9.5 (-107)

Over 43.5 Points -110
Under 43.5 Points -110

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But Houston does not being an underdog; not in the slightest. They have registered six straight-up wins this season while getting points. And Stroud, who threw for 274 yards against Cleveland, seems impervious to pressure, although his opposite number scores even higher in that regard.

Lamar Jackson is being given a lot of the MVP votes right now, and one of the reasons is that he has been able to operate under pressure, drawing a 94.3 passer rating in those circumstances, compared to 79.5 for Stroud.

What does this mean to us? Well, Stroud averages 9.2 "Intended Air Yards" (yards beyond the line of scrimmage) per attempt, so he needs time to throw. Baltimore comes with a sack rate of 8.6%, which is second best in the NFL. And their secondary has been graded the league's best against downfield passing. In other words, Stroud has his work cut out for him, and so does Nico Collins, his downfield threat (1297 yards, plus 97 last week against the outstanding Cleveland defense).

Jackson's 821 rushing yards are significant because it not only mitigates the effect of the Houston pass rush (led by Will Anderson and Jonatham Greenald) but also adds a dimension to the Baltimore run game, which has to deal with a Texans defensive front that has allowed only 3.5 yards per attempt.

Houston has not had to deal with many teams that have Baltimore's balance. The Ravens have run the football on a league-high 50.3% of snaps. And with first-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken, they have bulked up the air game and think a little more about going down the field. Rookie Zay Flowers (77 receptions) and Odell Beckham Jr. (16 yards per catch) are key figures there.

One thing that has to be remembered is that the Texans are not at their best on the road. They average just 19.5 points as the visitor, and only 15.2% of their drives on the road have resulted in touchdowns. That's 22nd in the NFL.

Last week's opposing quarterback, Joe Flacco, is at the other end of the spectrum from Lamar Jackson as far as mobility is concerned. So that's not much of an angle for Houston to exploit. On the road Stroud throws for about 80 yards less than he does at home. So it's not unreasonable to expect that he'll have a harder time than usual.

And for that reason we're relatively comfortable in laying the points with the Ravens.

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