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With the offense hitting a wall in the second half and their defense getting torched, the Ravens needed their special teams to step up and make a big play.
Or two. Or three.
That's exactly what they got.
Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg's unit had their best game of the season tonight against the Texans, and without their efforts, the Ravens would likely be heading back to Baltimore hanging their heads instead of breathing a sigh of relief.
The obvious clutch special teams play came at the start of the third quarter, when rookie wide receiver David Reed - who had a rough week leading into the game, as his apartment was searched for drugs by police last Tuesday - returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown.
Reed bounced off three Texans, somehow was able to stay on his feet, and rumbled down the sideline to give the Ravens a 21-point lead.
They would need every single one of those points, as Houston stormed back to tie the game and send it to overtime.
But, in the overtime session, the Ravens' special teams stepped up again.
Punter Sam Koch, who leads the NFL in punts downed inside the 20-yard line, was brought onto the field after the Ravens' offense stalled on the first possession of the extra session.
Koch absolutely crushed a punt that traveled 58 yards and pinned the Texans back at their own nine-yard line.
Two plays later, feeling the goal line not far behind him, Houston quarterback Matt Schaub was forced to throw off his back foot as Haloti Ngata brought pressure up the middle, and we know what happened from there. Josh Wilson picked off Schaub's pass and returned it for a game winning touchdown.
Koch was an unsung hero on the night, averaging 45 yards per punt, and pinning the Texans inside their own 20 on five of his seven kicks.
Billy Cundiff also showed up big for the Ravens, sending three of his five kickoffs deep into the end zone for touchbacks, increasing his NFL-high to 37 and giving the Texans poor field position all night.
Overall, Houston's average starting field position was their own 16, while the Ravens were nearly 20 yards better in that category.
On a night when the Ravens got maddeningly inconsistent performances from two aspects of their team, the special teams unit showed up to play.
And the Ravens leave Houston with a win as a result.
