Mark your calendars. NFL Week 11 will have an exciting matchup Sunday, 1 PM EST. The AFC North leading Baltimore Ravens (7-2) will face the AFC South leading Houston Texans (6-3). This will have MVP candidates Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson face off.
This will be the Texans first game coming off of their week 10 bye. They are hoping to capitalize off of their much needed rest after seeing a successful week 9. The Texans defeated division rivals Jacksonville Jaguars in London, 26-3. The Baltimore Ravens have won their last five games in a row, and are looking to maintain that momentum as well during this decisive AFC matchup.
This game is special for obvious reasons. Namely because this will be the first time college rivals Deshaun Watson (QB, Texans) and Lamar Jackson (QB, Ravens) face off. Both players have boasted a spectacular 2019 season, with both in the top ten in passer rating.
They are also the first quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 15 passing touchdowns, 100+ passer rating over the first nine games of the season, in addition to five or more rushing touchdowns. Both players are also leading teams who are placing first in their respective divisions, and both teams play well on both sides of the ball.
The last time they played against each other was back in 2016. Watson’s 5th-ranked Clemson Tigers team faced off against Jackson’s #3 ranked Louisville Cardinals. The game was deemed an instant classic.
Both teams entered the match up undefeated, and the young Heisman front-running opponents threw for nearly 600+ yards combined, demonstrating their electric passing ability and determination to win the game. Watson’s Tigers went home with a nail-biting 42-36 win. Jackson came close to scoring a game-winning drive, but on fourth down his receiver James Quick mistook where the fourth-down marker was, and that costly mistake resulted in a loss.
Watson ended up having a spectacular career at Clemson, finishing with a national title win against Alabama. However, lost the Heisman trophy to Lamar Jackson. When asked by Jon Gruden what he needed to do in order to win the Heisman, Watson allegedly threw some serious shade Jackson’s way, stating “I’m not sure, I guess lose a couple of games?”.
Deshaun Watson later cleared up any rumors of shade, clearing the air via twitter:
And Watson really meant what he said on Twitter. When asked about his relationship with Lamar Jackson this past Wednesday after a Texans practice, Watson responded, “I’m a proud quarterback, proud friend…all the criticism he was getting when he was coming out, he’s definitely a guy that I’ve always encouraged and talked to in the offseason..since college days, when we played against each other, I’ve always been friends with him. He’s a guy that’s been doing everything that all the naysayers have said he couldn’t do, and even more. His career is very, very bright and he’s going to continue to do great things.” A classy response, from one quarterback to another.
As it stands, the matchup this Sunday will bring back similar memories from their college rivalry. Although both professional teams are not undefeated like their college teams, both teams are leading their respective divisions. At the current moment, the Ravens hold the #2 seed, and the Texans hold the #3 seed.
These similar team rankings, along with comparable 2019 quarterback stats, although very different playing styles, are something that will be exciting to see for the nostalgic football lover. This friendly rivalry will undoubtedly bring the best out of both quarterbacks for years to come.
The Baltimore Ravens host the Houston Texans this Sunday, November 17th at 1 P.M. EST on CBS.
