The battle for a top spot in the AFC is on the line Sunday

Watson and Jackson highlight Sunday's huge game

Watson and Jackson highlight Sunday's huge game

The Friday Stoots Six-Pack gets you ready for the most fun game on the Texans schedule to this point.

Quarterbacks living up to the hype

These two put on a freaking show in college. I expect nothing less from their showdown on Sunday.

Both quarterbacks are playing at such a high level right now it should be incredible to watch. Jackson has been used perfectly while Watson has been incredible with his arm and decision making.

The ultimate idea on Sunday is, both of these guys likely won't decide the game. It will be what they are capable of doing to the other's defense that will decide who wins. Whichever quarterback has his defense hold up their end of the bargain, or make just one play, they will walk away the winner Sunday.

Not just Lamar either

The Ravens are loaded on offense. LOADED. Lamar Jackson is awesome, sure. They are stacked everywhere making him look even more awesome.

Mark Andrews is one of the best young tight ends in football right now. His two companions, Nick Boyle and Hayden Hurst aren't bad either. The Ravens have three of their top five pass catchers out of those three.

Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is a game-breaking talent at wideout. There isn't much to write home about outside of him at wide receiver but Miles Boykin is a freaky athlete and Seth Roberts seems to be reliable.

Mark Ingram has been one of the best free agent additions from this past offseason. He's been a tough out for opposing defenses.

The offensive line is very solid. Ronnie Stanley is the best pass blocker in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus (Laremy Tunsil is second by the way). Orlando Brown Jr. is a very solid right tackle and his line-mate at left guard Marshal Yanda is still really good.

If the Texans pull this off, they will have taken down a very impressive offense.

To two seed or not to two seed, that is the question

The winner of this game will have the inside track and will be the two seed in the AFC. If the Texans are the losers they will likely have to settle for the third seed because they will be two games AND a tiebreak behind the Ravens and Patriots. If the Ravens lose they will just have to best the Texans by a game down the stretch. I would say the remaining schedules would be a push in my honest opinion.

Avoiding the opening weekend game in the playoffs would go a very long way in the Texans finally playing in an AFC Championship game.

As healthy as it is going to get

It seems the Texans might be getting their secondary as close to healthy as they have been in a long time.

Tashaun Gipson and Bradley Roby are the two questions in the secondary. If they could both be back, my goodness the Texans would be deep as they've ever been.

Roby was fantastic as the slot corner before the hamstring injury. Johnathan Joseph outside with Lonnie Johnson/Gareon Conley opposite and Roby inside with Justin Reid and Gipson behind them would be a formidable match for the Ravens.

Baltimore has a loaded secondary led by Earl Thomas. They are going to be a challenge for Watson and company. Will Fuller being available would be huge development towards getting after the Ravens deep secondary.

Run vs run

The best rushing offense in football belongs to the Baltimore Ravens. The third best rush defense in football is owned by the Houston Texans. Pro Football Focus rates the Texans as the best rushing attack in football though.

Strength on strength on Sunday.

Every Ravens opponent is in the bottom half of the league in rushing defense with the exception of the Seahawks and Patriots who are both around the top ten.

In those games the Ravens put up 199 and 210 on two solid run defenses. Yikes.

The Texans will need to make the most of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson on the ground. Deshaun Watson's legs are a huge weapon as well. The Texans will have to control the game and wear down the Ravens secondary to hopefully open up some late game attacking.

The helmet hit heard round the world

Usually I drop all six things on the Texans but my goodness I couldn't pass up the opportunity to put this crazy video in here.

Myles Garrett clearly lost his cool and it is going to cost him dearly this season and on his reputation forever.

Antonio Smith almost connected on Richie Incognito way back in the day when Smith was on the Texans. He lost two preseason games and a regular season game, but he missed on his swing.

I don't know what is right for a suspension but I know when he is gone this dings the Browns a ton on defense. They needed him a ton down the stretch to save the respectability of their season.

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Houston’s balanced attack holds the key to beating Duke. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

For the first time in five years, the Cougars are heading back to the Final Four and will match up with the Duke Blue Devils.

This is the second consecutive year the two basketball powerhouses have faced off in the NCAA tournament. Last season, Houston was favored to win but lost Jamal Shead early in the game and came up just short during their Sweet 16 matchup with Duke.

This year, the roles are reversed, as the Blue Devils are a -4.5 favorite to win and have been playing at an elite level over the last few weeks, as they have outscored their last four opponents 367-273.

Defeating Duke will be no easy task, but Houston has some key factors to give them the edge they need to walk away victorious.

Offense and roster depth

Throughout this tournament, Houston has counted on multiple players to control the game scoring-wise and has become one of the most efficient offenses in the country.

Senior guard LJ Cryer has been the Cougars' leading scorer all season, averaging 15.4 points per game, and has become one of the leaders of this team.

Houston also has forward Emanuel Sharp and guard Milos Uzan, who have been massive offensive contributors throughout this season.

Senior forward J’Wan Roberts and sophomore Joseph Tugler round out the rest of the starting rotation and provide the Cougars with elite defense.

Houston also has Ja’Vier Francis, Terrance Arceneaux and Mylik Wilson as key bench pieces to give the team the depth it needs to complete at a high level.

Having multiple players who score consistently, and an elite defense will be the primary keys to defeating Duke.

Contain Cooper Flagg

Duke’s freshman forward has been by far and away the best college basketball player this season and is on pace to become one of the greatest one-and-done athletes of this era. The 18-year-old leads the Blue Devils in points, assists, rebounds and steals and is the consensus number-one overall prospect in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Slowing down Duke’s best player will not be easy, as the freshman forward has averaged 19.5 points per game in the tournament, but Houston will have to find a way to limit his production to come away victorious.

Houston forward J'Wan Roberts will be Flagg's primary defender, and Tugler and Francis will provide additional coverage to limit him offensively.

The Blue Devils also have guards Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor, who can take over a game scoring-wise if Flagg is having an off night.

Cryer and Uzan are elite defenders who can provide excellent coverage to either of Duke's guards.

Slowing down the Blue Devils will take an all-hands-on-deck defensive approach to limit their offensive production.

Houston’s previous game saw them hold Tennessee to score only 50 points and forced them to shoot a minuscule 17.2% from beyond the arch.

The Cougars still have the nation's best defense and will be well-prepared to slow down Duke’s high-powered offense.

Trust the man who brought you here

The last time Houston made it this far in the tournament was in 2021. At that time, head coach Kelvin Sampson was building a basketball program from the ground up and just starting to see the fruits of his labor come to fruition.

The former Indiana coach took a team with little to no tournament experience to the Final Four before falling short to the eventual champion Baylor.

Since then, the 69-year-old has taken multiple teams deep into the tournament thanks to his defensive-first mentality and getting the best effort out of players.

“The most overrated thing is that you're a good defensive team because of your coaching”. Sampson said. “No. You're a good defensive team because you care and because it's important to you.”

Sampson has become one of the best coaches in the nation, and this year, his team is well-positioned to make a run at Houston’s first-ever men's basketball championship.

Not only is this one of the deepest rosters the Cougars have ever had, but it's also one of the most experienced teams Sampson has coached in his career.

Everyone on this squad (except Uzan) has played in the NCAA Tournament at least once before this year.

This experience, combined with a coach who has been here before, is a perfect recipe for success and the key to deafening the Blue Devils.

The Houston — Duke game will take place on Saturday at 7:49 pm. The winner will play either Auburn or Florida in the championship game on Monday.

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