Ravens enter playoff game without tight end Mark Andrews

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens started without Mark Andrews on Saturday.

Andrews has remained on the injured reserve list. He was not activated on Friday despite practicing with the team this week.

Perhaps he will play next week—provided that the Ravens beat the Texans, which they are expected to do.

The Ravens beat up rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans when they came to Baltimore for a regular season opener back in September.

The Ravens are a heavy favorite to repeat that feat on Saturday.

That said, C.J. Stroud is on a hot streak, including a playoff win over Cleveland last week. He may even prove to be the NFL's offensive rookie of the year.

Stroud has made great strides since the Ravens saw him four months ago.

"C.J. is a whole different quarterback," Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh said. "I feel like we woke him up. We matured him, and he's been ballin' ever since."

Ravens outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney said Stroud has been making smart decisions with his passing, which puts his team in good situations.

"I think that's good for their side, and he's executing [and] getting the ball out [of] his hand fast," Clowney said. "So, for us, we've just got to execute our game plan and disguise and be on the same page—so we [can] try to get to him."

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Mark Viviano

Mark Viviano is sports director for WJZ.

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