When: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET Where: NRG Stadium, Houston TV: CBS

This weekend's matchup pits a Baltimore Ravens team in a fight to make the playoffs -- and with a decent shot to do so -- against a Houston Texans team whose members defiantly insist their recent misfortunes have not changed their mentality.

The Texans (7-7) are still technically alive in the playoff hunt, but it will take a lot of good fortune in games they can't control for them to make it even with a win against the Ravens.

The Ravens (9-5) can clinch a playoff spot with a win and losses by the Bengals and Steelers, a win and a loss or tie by Kansas City and San Diego or a tie with the Texans and losses by Kansas City, San Diego and Buffalo.

Of course, even without these playoff scenarios, there are plenty of storylines between these two teams, so let's get right to them.

ESPN NFL Nation's Texans reporter Tania Ganguli and Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley discuss.

Ganguli: So Jamison, the Ravens' roster seems filled with former Texans in key roles, none bigger than former Texans coach Gary Kubiak. How has Kubiak's offense been received up there?

Hensley: With enthusiastic applause. Kubiak has done so well in his first season that there's a fear he could be one-and-done in Baltimore. He transformed the NFL's 30th-ranked run game to the league's fifth best, and that's without a single carry by Ray Rice. He has quarterback Joe Flacco on pace for career highs in passing yards and touchdowns. And he has the Ravens' offense on track for its first top-10 finish since 1997. Kubiak's biggest influence has come on the offensive line, which has thrived in his zone blocking system and straight-forward pass protection schemes. There has been some criticism of Kubiak recently. His personnel groupings have begun to tip off defenses on what to expect. Kubiak was also too conservative against the Jaguars last Sunday and didn't take enough deep shots against a vulnerable secondary. Overall, this is the best Ravens offense in recent memory and Kubiak deserves a big chunk of the credit.

Speaking of Kubiak, he was the head coach for the Texans for eight seasons. That's over half of the franchise's existence. Will his return to Houston bring out any extra emotions from fans or the home crowd? Or do you think this reunion is a nonfactor?

Ganguli: Well, I'll tell you this: that complaint about the personnel grouping sounds familiar. By the end of his tenure here there was a feeling things got too predictable offensively. I remember an uproar last season after Richard Sherman picked off Matt Schaub for one of the infamous pick-sixes. Sherman and other Seahawks talked about how they knew exactly what was about to come on that play. Last season was such a catastrophe people were glad to see Kubiak go despite all he accomplished during his tenure here, two division titles, the first ever playoff wins in franchise history, etc. But I think enough time has passed that there will be some nostalgia and warm feelings toward him. People appreciate what kind of person he is even if they thought the Texans needed a change. He was also very well liked in the building, the kind of guy who was kind and knew everybody's name, so I know his reception will be warm among Texans employees.

Sticking with the former Texans, what's made Justin Forsett so successful?

Hensley: Even though Forsett had just the one season in Kubiak's system -- 2012 in Houston -- he had the most familiarity in the one cut-and-go scheme. Forsett's comfort level showed in the vision and patience that it takes to be successful in this type of run game. What has surprised the Ravens is Forsett's ability to break tackles at his size (5-foot-8, 198 pounds). His 14 runs of 20 or more yards are tied with DeMarco Murray for most in the NFL. What can't be overlooked is the play of the offensive line, which has created big running lanes. Forsett is averaging 3.89 yards before contact, which is tops among running backs this season. The consistency of the running game, which was absent last season, is a big reason the Ravens are closing in on a playoff berth. With two games remaining, Forsett is considered the Ravens' most valuable player.

The Texans have run the ball 474 times, the most in the NFL. With the Texans' unsettled situation at quarterback, will they rely even more on the run? Is this the biggest X factor for Houston?

Ganguli: They certainly did last week when rookie quarterback Tom Savage was thrown into a game nobody expected him to have to play in. Savage played nearly three full quarters with a heavy dose of Arian Foster and also some Alfred Blue and Jonathan Grimes. It's harder to run the ball when the passing game isn't a threat, but if the Texans start Case Keenum this weekend, they'll have a guy who is familiar with the offense enough that they might be able to be a little more creative. Their running game is always the foundation of what they do and they are lucky to have a talented running back in Foster. There are few better when Foster is healthy, and he is now.

What is the biggest challenge the Ravens' defense will pose to a Texans offense that will be starting a quarterback who didn't begin the season on their roster?

Hensley: The pass rush. The Ravens come after quarterbacks from all angles. Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs crash the edges. Pernell McPhee, Timmy Jernigan and Courtney Upshaw collapse the middle of the pocket. Dumervil and Suggs are the headliners. They're the NFL's best pass-rush duo, combining for 28 sacks -- which is 4.5 more than any other tandem. Dumervil has already set the franchise record with 17 sacks, and Suggs' five-game streak of at least one sack is tops in the NFL. The Texans have done a solid job of protecting the quarterback this season, allowing 23 sacks this season. But the Ravens are in a groove lately with 14 sacks the past two weeks. This pass rush has become a necessity because their banged-up secondary is vulnerable to the big play.

Whenever any team plays the Texans, the hot topic is J.J. Watt and rightfully so. But, outside of Watt, who plays the biggest role on the Texans' defense in this matchup with the Ravens?

Ganguli: Watt certainly is a problem for any offense that plays the Texans. This defense played a phenomenal game last week against the Indianapolis Colts and a lot of that had to do with the creativity the Texans showed schematically, especially with their secondary. They bottled up one of the most potent passing offenses in the league and neutralized receiver T.Y. Hilton. Of course, the challenge will be different against the Ravens -- they'll have to stop that productive running game. To that end, Ryan Pickett is a guy to watch. He's their big, stout nose tackle who was signed during the season precisely because the Texans were having trouble stopping the run.