Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens 2019 Prediction: Deshaun Watson Beats Lamar Jackson In Week 11

The best game in Week 11 of the 2019 NFL season will start at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium. The Baltimore Ravens are set to host the Houston Texans in a matchup with a ton of playoff implications.

Baltimore leads the AFC North as the conference’s No.2 seed. Houston is a game behind the Ravens, sitting atop the AFC South as the No.3 seed. Sunday’s matchup could ultimately determine which team gets a first-round bye in the postseason.

The NFL MVP race will be front and center in Baltimore. Russell Wilson is the frontrunner for the award, but Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson both have time to make up ground. Putting up big numbers in a key Week 11 victory could go a long way for either quarterback’s candidacy.

The Ravens are four-point home favorites, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark. The over/under is up to 51.5.

If the two signal callers play up to their capabilities, the final score could soar past the betting total.

Watson went 22-28 for 201 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions when the Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-3 before going on their Week 10 bye. It marked the fifth straight game in which the quarterback completed more than two-thirds of his attempts.

Watson has 23 combined passing and rushing touchdowns. He’s fourth in the NFL with a 107.1 passer rating, posting a passer rating north of 114.0 in five games.

Jackson just posted his second perfect passer rating of the season, doing so in a 49-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The quarterback had a 158.3 rating when the Ravens routed the Miami Dolphins 59-10 in the season opener. Jackson totaled nine touchdowns and no interceptions in those two games.

Jackson has seven passing touchdowns, five picks and five rushing touchdowns in Baltimore’s seven other contests. He posted two triple-digit passer ratings during that stretch.

That’s not to say Jackson hasn’t come up big against stiff competition. The Ravens are the only team to beat the New England Patriots. Baltimore defeated the defending champs 37-20 in Week 9 as Jackson went 17-23 for 163 yards and a touchdown in addition to his 61 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.

In an earlier battle of MVP candidates, Jackson outdueled Wilson when Baltimore beat the Seattle Seahawks 30-16 on the road. Jackson overcame a 9-20 passing day with 14 rushes for 116 yards.

Both quarterbacks have put up big numbers with another top quarterback on the opposite sideline. Watson led Houston to a 31-24 comeback victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s beaten Derek Carr, Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan. Watson and the Texans would’ve upset Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints if it wasn’t for a 58-yard field goal as time expired.

Houston averaged 33.2 points in those five contests.

The Texans are averaging 27 points per game outside of Houston. The Ravens have surrendered 24.8 points per game when facing a team other than the Dolphins or Bengals.

Baltimore leads the NFL with 33.3 points per game. No team has held the Ravens below 23 points. Don’t expect the Texans to be the first to do it.

Houston ranks in the bottom half of the league in total defense and opponents’ yards per play. J.J. Watt is done for the year after leading the NFL in quarterback hits for the first half of the season.

The Texans have done a better job of protecting Watson lately. The quarterback has been sacked seven times in the last five games. Only three teams have fewer sacks than Baltimore.

The Ravens are 1-6 against the spread in their last seven home games. Maybe Watson can continue his magic on the road.

Prediction: Houston over Baltimore, 33-31