National Football League
Houston 43, Baltimore 13
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 21, 2012
Where: Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Tony Corrente
Attendance: 71708


Texans 43, Ravens 13:
Matt Schaub threw a pair of touchdown passes and Houston's defense sparked a first-half run of 29 unanswered points in a rout of visiting Baltimore.

Schaub, who sat out last season's divisional playoff loss to the Ravens with a foot injury, threw touchdown passes to Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels. Arian Foster scored twice and Johnathan Joseph returned an interception for a touchdown, helping Houston (6-1) rebound from its first loss of the season and defeat Baltimore (5-2) for the first time in seven tries.

The Ravens played their first game without both linebacker Ray Lewis (torn triceps) and top cornerback Lardarius Webb (torn ACL), but received an unexpected boost with the early return of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs. Suggs started just six months after suffering a partially torn Achilles tendon.

But it was the Texans' defense - a unit that was shredded by Aaron Rodgers in a 42-24 loss to Green Bay last week - that held Baltimore to just 176 total yards and made all the big plays. After Connor Barwin sacked Joe Flacco for a safety late in the first quarter, the Texans took the free kick and went 67 yards in eight plays, grabbing a 9-3 lead on Schaub's 25-yard scoring pass to Walter.

On the ensuing series, leading Defensive Player of the Year candidate J.J. Watt tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage and Joseph returned the interception 52 yards for a score, making it 16-3. Daniels added a 1-yard touchdown catch and Shayne Graham's second field goal - a 29-yarder with six seconds left in the half - gave Houston a 29-3 advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Flacco finished 21-of-43 for 147 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for Baltimore, which was held to just 84 yards in the first half. ... Suggs, who suffered the injury reportedly playing pickup basketball, had four tackles and a sack. ... The Ravens' defense took another hit as DT Haloti Ngata limped off the field late in the first half.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Baltimore   Houston
Ray Rice Player Arian Foster
9 Attempts 19
42 Yards 98
4.7 Avg Yards 5.2
0 Touchdowns 2
17 Long 16
Receiving
Baltimore   Houston
Torrey Smith Player Andre Johnson
4 Receptions 9
41 Yards 86
10.2 Avg Yards 9.6
0 Touchdowns 0
15 Long 14
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Baltimore 176 55 121 1 2 0 2.0 1
Houston 420 181 239 5 2 2 4.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Texans have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Baltimore will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Ravens have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.