National Football League
Baltimore 23, Houston 16
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, November 27, 2017
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Temperature: 50°
Head Official: Brad Allen
Attendance: 70357

BALTIMORE -- Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs helped shut down the Houston Texans, and the Baltimore offense used a couple of big plays to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Baltimore executed a fake punt that led to a Javorius "Buck" Allen touchdown, and Alex Collins ran for another score in Baltimore's 23-16 victory over Houston on Monday night. The Ravens held the Texans scoreless over the final 51 minutes.

"I thought we played winning football," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We got turnovers and didn't turn the ball over. We made big plays when we had to. At the end, we closed the thing out."

Suggs came up with a huge play, a strip-sack of Texans quarterback Tom Savage late in the fourth quarter. The fumble was recovered by Baltimore defensive tackle Willie Henry, and Houston never threatened again.

"If the game's on the line, you've got to be comfortable when your defense is out there," Suggs said. "It feels good."

The Ravens (6-5) have consecutive wins for the first time since the opening two weeks of the season, and they retook the sixth and final AFC playoff spot.

Baltimore overcame a huge performance by Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who caught seven passes for 125 yards.

"I don't celebrate self achievements if the team achievement isn't where it's supposed to be," Hopkins said. "Obviously, my team isn't where it needs to be or where we want it to be. There's no celebrating here."

Baltimore is 12-1 in night games at home since Harbaugh took over the team in 2008. The Ravens have also won 10 consecutive prime-time matchups at M&T Bank Stadium, the longest streak in the NFL.

Houston (4-7) pulled within 20-16 on a 37-yard field goal by Ka'imi Fairbairn with 8:36 remaining in the game. The Texans were driving again on their next possession, but Suggs' strip-sack led to a 49-yard field goal by Justin Tucker that gave Baltimore the 23-16 margin.

Ravens safety Anthony Levine sealed the win with the first interception of his career with just over two minutes left.

"I can't even describe the emotions that I have," Levine said. "I bombed on our celebration. I froze just because I was so emotional."

Baltimore's Joe Flacco completed 20 of 32 passes for 141 yards and had a key 25-yard run on the game's final possession.

The Ravens had three takeaways, giving them an NFL-leading 26.

Savage, filling in for the injured Deshaun Watson, was 22 of 37 for 252 yards with two interceptions.

"I threw two picks and lost one fumble," Savage said. "That's not my goal, but it's all part of the game. The Ravens have a really good defense and they played well."

The Ravens' defense had three penalties for 39 yards on the Texans' opening drive. That helped set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Lamar Miller.

Baltimore got a spark when Sam Koch threw a 22-yard pass to Chris Moore on a fake punt early in the second quarter. Two plays later, Allen tied the game on a 10-yard run.

"It's tough," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "It's just a terrible feeling. It's been a season of a lot of those. We're going to look back on it and I know we had some opportunities we didn't take advantage of."

An interception by safety Tony Jefferson and a 29-yard run by Collins on a fourth-and-1 set up the Ravens' next score. Collins capped the drive with an 8-yard run, and Baltimore had its first lead, 14-7, with 6:44 left in the half.

"We know our capabilities and what we're good at," Collins said. "We do a great job of working with each other in our different situations and our different schemes. Whatever the coaches need us to do, we do."

Fairbairn and Tucker traded field goals in the final two minutes of the second quarter, and the Ravens led 17-10 at the break.

NOTES: Baltimore got a boost when LT Ronnie Stanley was active after missing the previous game with a concussion. Stanley had to leave late in the first quarter with a right leg injury but was able to return. ... Texans WR Will Fuller (ribs) missed his second consecutive game. He has 17 catches for 326 yards with seven touchdowns. ... Ravens WR Breshad Perriman was active after he was a healthy scratch the previous game. Perriman was the team's first-round pick in 2015 but has been inconsistent. ... Baltimore's Michael Campanaro, who leads the league in punt return average, was inactive after not appearing on the injury report last week.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Houston   Baltimore
Lamar Miller Player Alex Collins
17 Attempts 16
51 Yards 60
3.0 Avg Yards 3.8
1 Touchdowns 1
17 Long 29
Receiving
Houston   Baltimore
DeAndre Hopkins Player Mike Wallace
7 Receptions 5
125 Yards 48
17.9 Avg Yards 9.6
0 Touchdowns 0
39 Long 24
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Houston 303 66 237 1 3 0 1.0 0
Baltimore 294 139 155 2 3 2 2.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Baltimore will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Ravens have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .600 after a loss.
  • Houston will play their next game on the road against Tennessee. The Texans have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .571 after a loss.