Ravens Linebackers Shine In Week 1 Win - 'Wanna Be Great!'

The Baltimore Ravens linebackers had an impressive showing in a Week 1 win over the Houston Texans.

Baltimore Ravens linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen showed out in Week 1 in a 25-9 win over the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium.

"I think when you look big picture, the organization, who was here, what they did and the standard that they set, you gotta look at how do you wanna be as an individual," Queen said. "Do you wanna be great or do you just want to be average? I know Ro wanna be great, he's already ahead there, and I know I wanna be great, I'm already ahead there. At the end of the day, when we come in, we step foot in the facility or on this field, it's all focused and trying to be great."

Smith led the defense with an impressive performance, recording 16 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. Queen tallied 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and one pass defended. 

The Ravens acquired Smith in a trade with the Chicago Bears last season, giving up linebacker A.J. Klein, a 2023 second-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick in the deal. Smith finished the season as a first-team All-Pro linebacker, recording 169 tackles, 11 TFL, 4.5 sacks and three interceptions. 

Baltimore's defense looked polished against the Texans, holding them to just nine points. Houston's ground game was completely snuffed out, resulting in 72 rushing yards on 23 carries for 3.1 yards per carry. 

The defense was also successful in making life hard for rookie quarterback CJ Stroud. The Ravens registered 10 QB hits and five sacks, never letting Stroud get comfortable in his NFL debut. Baltimore's linebackers controlled the middle of the field for the majority of the game, limiting the Texans' tight ends to three catches for 15 yards. 

The Ravens will take the field again next week for their first divisional matchup, a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. ET.