The Ravens (10-5) will face the Texans (9-6) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Houston. Here are game predictions from The Baltimore Banner’s sports staff.

Flying at a higher altitude

Kyle Goon, columnist: For all of the Ravens’ issues this season, they’ve played some of the best teams and have been sharpened by the steel of the AFC North. The Texans, not so much. They’ve been able to beat up on the Titans and Jaguars in the weakest division in football, and they’ve largely come up short against the toughest teams. That, combined with injuries riddling their offense, makes them something of a paper tiger compared to other AFC contenders.

The strength-on-strength matchup of the Ravens’ offense against the Texans’ defense should be compelling. Houston has given up just 9 rushing TDs and plucked 19 interceptions. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will need to be at their best. But on the other end, Baltimore’s defensive improvement dovetails well with the Texans’ inability to score. As long as the secondary manages to keep a lid on Nico Collins, Baltimore should show itself to be a higher class of contender than Houston for a second straight year.

Ravens 27, Texans 17

A gift for the Flock

Giana Han, reporter: Without Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, this is going to be an uphill battle for the Texans. The Ravens’ defense has struggled against the pass, but the unit seems to have stabilized, and the Texans just lost Dell to a devastating knee injury in their game against the Chiefs.

Meanwhile, the Ravens’ offense is humming again, and Derrick Henry tends to get better as the season goes on. Buoyed by their long-awaited win over the Steelers, the Ravens will deliver their fans the best Christmas gift they’ve got: a win.

Ravens 28, Texans 17

Good health, and a better opportunity

Jonas Shaffer, reporter: The Ravens have the NFL’s most efficient offense, according to FTN. The Texans have the NFL’s most efficient defense. Sounds like a fair fight, right? Well, not when one side is in good health and the other is moving on to emergency starters. The Ravens’ only real question mark is wide receiver Zay Flowers’ shoulder injury, but coach John Harbaugh was optimistic Sunday that he would be available. The Texans? They’re down a starting linebacker, two starting slot cornerbacks and likely a starting defensive tackle. Oh, and star defensive end Will Anderson Jr. might not be fully healthy, either.

Even if the Ravens have only a slight advantage on offense, their defense should have no trouble harassing Houston. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has a shabby offensive line protecting him and, thanks to more bad injury luck, only two legitimate receivers to target: wide receiver Nico Collins and tight end Dalton Schultz. At the end of a three-games-in-11-days stretch, the deeper, healthier team is always the safer bet.

Ravens 28, Texans 13

Ready to reign

Paul Mancano, “Banner Ravens Podcast” co-host: December Derrick Henry is a sight to behold. After putting up modest totals against the Eagles and Giants, Henry broke out with 162 rushing yards on 24 carries in Saturday’s win over the Steelers. In his nine NFL seasons, the King averages 5.14 yards per carry in the final month of the calendar year. With Justice Hill expected to be sidelined Wednesday, Henry’s attempts could reach the 20-25 mark for the second straight week.

Oh, and Henry loves playing against the Texans. In 14 career games against Houston, he’s racked up a whopping 1,431 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. DeMeco Ryan’s unit has been stellar against the run all season, but they haven’t faced a rushing attack like this.

Ravens 30, Texans 20

The Ravens are putting it all together

Brandon Weigel, editor: After making it to the divisional round last season with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Houston Texans were a trendy pick to go deep in the playoffs this season. That looked like an even better bet after they signed defensive end Danielle Hunter, defensive end Denico Autry and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in free agency, and made trades for wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon.

They haven’t exactly looked like world-beaters with a 9-6 record that’s propped up, in part, by a 4-1 record in the AFC South, perhaps the worst division in the NFL. At least they swept the Indianapolis Colts, the only other team in the division that isn’t looking at a Top 5 pick in next year’s draft.

Part of the Texans’ shortcomings are due to health, with Diggs, wide receiver Tank Dell, safety Jalen Pitre and safety Jimmie Ward all landing on injured reserve. That should give the Ravens an edge, even if key contributors Zay Flowers and Justice Hill, who haven’t practiced as of this writing, are not able to go. Baltimore is more battle-tested, and it looks like they’re starting to live up to their potential on both offense and defense.

Ravens 27, Texans 20