Lamar Jackson and Todd Monken flipped the script in Ravens-Texans

The crowd at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon was loud, but also tense.

This was a script they had seen before. Their beloved Ravens were the top seed in the AFC and were looking to win in a week. Lamar Jackson was playing at an MVP level, but an upstart team from the AFC South was coming to town and trying to break their hearts.

That was the scenario a few years ago when the 14-2 Ravens were eliminated from the playoffs in the divisional round. tennessee titansand halftime of Saturday's game against Houston. texans, the score was tied 10-10 and the visitors appeared to have a bit of momentum heading into the break. Houston tied the game on Steven Sims' explosive punt return touchdown and Baltimore had a chance for one last drive before the break, but two sacks ended the scoring threat and told the story of the first half. It was useful.

Both of those sacks came from blitzes. It went against the grain of Houston and head coach DeMeco Ryans.texans Blitzed on just 21% of defensive snaps. This is the fifth-lowest of any NFL team in the regular season.

But in the first half Saturday, Houston applied pressure, much of it this way.

Jackson finished the first half with just seven completions on 11 attempts for 52 yards and one touchdown. He was also fired three times, all of which were due to blitzing as mentioned above.

The pressure package was a big adjustment for Ryans, but Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Monken had the last laugh in a game full of adjustments. The Ravens pulled away in the second half as Jackson completed 9 of 11 passes for 100 yards and one touchdown in the second half.

Their adjustments paid off on the first drive of the second half, as the Ravens advanced to the right side of the field and scored on Jackson's touchdown run, changing the course of the game. Monken tried to quickly take the ball out of Jackson's hands, a move that quickly paid off. On the first play of the second half, the Texans applied pressure again, ejecting safety Jalen Pitre from the right side of the offense, but Jackson quickly threw to Nelson Agholor on the left side for nine points.

Then, the next second, the Texans blitzed again, and Jackson made another quick throw, this time targeting tight end Isaiah Lilly for a route into the left flat.

Two plays, two big gains, and suddenly the Ravens were deep in Houston territory.

What stands out about the second play is the work Jackson does before the snap, from rhythm to adjustments. Jackson uses a hard count to help identify second-level blitzes coming from Houston. He then hit running back Gus Edwards with a shotgun from a pistol alignment into the traditional alignment next to him. This gives Edwards a better angle to pick up blitzes from linebacker Christian Harris.

After gaining three more yards on Jackson's deliberate run, the Ravens found themselves on second-and-7 at Houston's own 24-yard line. Monken called for another pass, Ryans called for another blitz, and Pitre took another shot from deep.

Once again, watch Jackson replace Pitre's blitz with a soccer ball and take a quick throw to Rashod Bateman on a diagonal route.

Three plays. The Texans blitzed three times, and the Ravens had three completions for 37 yards and three first downs.

Still, the Ravens needed to get the ball into the end zone, and Monken had one more trick up his sleeve to deal with another schematic element the Texans threw at him in the first half. In addition to blitzing Jackson, the Texans often used a spy on him in the form of Harris. The linebackers will keep an eye on Jackson and try to minimize damage if the shifting quarterback attempts to escape the pocket.

Monken found the answer with the Ravens' first touchdown of the second half.

On Jackson's planned run, the play would have Edwards leading the quarterback upfield and linebacker Blake Cashman, who was tasked with spying on Jackson, aiming for the aiming point. result? Jackson's clear path and his 17-10 lead in Baltimore:

The rout has begun.

Monken's schematic tweaks on this opening drive of the second half helped tell the story of the game. Jackson put up the following numbers on Saturday's blitz:

There are several reasons why the Ravens look like the most dangerous team left in the NFL. Mike McDonald and his Baltimore defense were just as impressive Saturday as they have been all season. This unit held Houston to just 38 rushing yards and pressured CJ Stroud all afternoon. The Ravens' running game was also solid, with Baltimore gaining 229 rushing yards on 5.5 yards per carry and gaining 12 first downs with the ground game.

But those little tweaks and tweaks to start the second half helped us break through this game in a big way.

And calm down the nervous fans at M&T Bank Stadium.