The Texans vs. Ravens Score: Why Houston’s Playoff Run Hit a Wall in Baltimore

So, you're looking for the Texans score. It wasn't pretty. The Houston Texans lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34-10 in the AFC Divisional Round. That's the short version. But if you're a Houston fan, or just someone who follows the chaos of the NFL playoffs, you know that the final numbers on the scoreboard rarely tell the whole story of how a game actually felt while it was happening.

For a while there, it looked like we were headed for an all-time upset. It was tied at halftime. 10-10. The stadium in Baltimore was cold, the wind was whipping, and C.J. Stroud looked like he might actually pull off the impossible against a historic Ravens defense. Then, the third quarter happened. Lamar Jackson happened.

Breaking Down the Texans Game Score and That Brutal Second Half

The 34-10 final score feels like a blowout because, by the end, it was. Baltimore rattled off 24 unanswered points in the second half. Houston simply couldn't move the ball once Mike Macdonald—who was then the Ravens' defensive coordinator before taking the Seahawks' head coaching job—started dialing up the pressure.

Stroud was under constant duress. He finished 19 of 33 for 175 yards. No touchdowns. No interceptions either, which is a testament to his poise, but the Texans' offense just went stagnant. They couldn't run the ball. Devin Singletary was held to 22 yards. When you can't run against a defense that fast, you're basically asking for a long afternoon.

The only touchdown Houston scored didn't even come from the offense. Steven Sims took a punt 67 yards to the house in the second quarter. That was the spark. That was the moment Houston fans started thinking, Wait, are we actually going to the AFC Championship? Baltimore had other plans.

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Lamar Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more. He became the first player in NFL history to have two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, 100 yards rushing, and a 100-plus passer rating in a single playoff game. You can't really gameplan for a guy playing at that level of efficiency.

Why the Texans Lost Control After Halftime

It came down to execution and discipline. Houston was flagged 11 times. Several of those were pre-snap penalties—false starts and delay of game calls—because the Baltimore crowd was deafening. It’s hard enough to beat the number one seed on the road; it’s impossible when you’re constantly starting drives at 1st and 15.

DeMeco Ryans mentioned after the game that the team just didn't make enough plays. It sounds like a coaching cliché, but it’s true. The Ravens' defense is built to suffocate young quarterbacks. They disguised their blitzes, dropped guys into passing lanes that Stroud thought were open, and hit him nearly every time he stepped back to throw.

The yardage disparity was staggering by the end of the fourth quarter. Baltimore outgained Houston 448 to 213. You aren't winning many games with 213 yards of total offense, especially not in January.

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Looking Back: Was the 2023-2024 Texans Season a Success?

Honestly? Yes. Absolutely. Even with that lopsided score in the divisional round, the Texans overachieved by every possible metric.

Remember, this was a team that had won a total of 11 games in the previous three seasons combined. They were the basement dwellers of the AFC South. Then they hired DeMeco Ryans. They drafted C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. Suddenly, everything changed.

They won the division. They humiliated the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round—a game where the Texans score was a dominant 45-14. That game was the peak of the Stroud-to-Nico Collins connection. Collins has evolved into a true WR1, and his chemistry with Stroud is the foundation of this entire franchise moving forward.

Key Takeaways from the Texans' Playoff Exit

1. The offensive line needs depth. Laremy Tunsil is a brick wall, but the interior struggled against Baltimore’s size. If the Texans want to beat the Ravens or the Chiefs, they have to be able to win in the trenches.

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2. C.J. Stroud is the real deal. Despite the 10-point output, Stroud didn't look "scared." He looked like a rookie playing a legendary defense. His ability to avoid turnovers under that kind of pressure is what separates him from other young QBs.

3. The defense is ahead of schedule. Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. are cornerstones. Ryans has instilled a "Swarm" mentality that actually works. They just ran out of gas against a Baltimore team that was deeper and more experienced.

The final score on the Texans game was 34-10, marking the end of a Cinderella run. But unlike previous years in Houston, this didn't feel like a fluke. It felt like a warning shot to the rest of the league.

If you're tracking the Texans' progress, the focus now shifts entirely to the offseason. Improving the run game is priority number one. Adding another veteran presence in the secondary is number two. With the cap space they have and a quarterback on a rookie contract, the window isn't just open—it's being ripped off the hinges.

To stay ahead of the next season, start by monitoring the Texans' cap casualty list and their early draft projections. The gap between a 10-point playoff performance and a 30-point championship-caliber offense is narrower than it looked on that scoreboard in Baltimore. Watch the free-agency moves regarding defensive tackle depth; that’s where the real battle for the AFC will be won.