Current Odds

The Ravens opened as a 3-point road favorite and the line has held steady at most books, while a few books do have Baltimore at -2½ -120. The line might rise a bit on Monday night as 76% of the public is backing the Ravens according to the consensus sites.

The Over/Under line opened at 45½ and has since risen to 46 total points, despite the fact 55% of the public supports the Under according to the consensus sites. Weather will not be an issue as the forecast is calling for clear conditions, plus Reliant Stadium has a retractable roof.

Injury Report

Baltimore will be without tight end Todd Heap who injured his hamstring last week and is not expected to play tonight. Heap is third on the team receiving yards (546) and fourth in receptions (37) this season. Cornerback Fabian Washington also has a hamstring injury and is questionable, while fullback Le’Ron McClain and offensive guard Chris Chester are both probable.

Houston tight end Owens Daniels has missed the past five games, but he is expected to return to the lineup tonight. Star wide receiver Andre Johnson (71 receptions, 1,018 yards) continues to battle an ankle injury, but he is listed as probable and expected to play. Defensive end Mario Williams is also probable, along with safety Bernard Pollard.

Protecting Flacco

The Baltimore Ravens offense has not played well in their last two games. They’ve only scored a total of 27 points; they averaged 30 points per game in the four games prior. And a big reason for the decline in production has been a decline in two areas, their running game and their offensive line protection.

The Ravens had just 92 rushing yards against the Buccaneers and just 43 rushing yards last week against the Steelers. Quarterback Joe Flacco has been sacked 11 times in the past three games, and a whopping 17 times in the last five games. And there was none bigger than Troy Polamalu’s game-winning sack, forced fumble for the Steelers on Sunday night.

Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is taking responsibility for that play. “You’re looking at the guy responsible,” Cameron said. “There was a flaw in that protection. In 25-plus years, I have never seen that happen, and it showed up at the worst possible time it could have, and it’s my job to catch that flaw. That flaw has been corrected. Next time you see a guy unblocked in that protection, it’ll be where the quarterback’s expecting it to be unblocked.”

Run, Foster, Run

Houston running back Arian Foster is the NFL’s leading rusher. Foster is also leading all AFC running backs in Pro Bowl voting with 414,033 total votes. And all of those votes are well deserved after looking at Foster’s numbers this season.

The 24-year-old Foster leads the league in rushing yards (1,230), rushing touchdowns (13) and yards from scrimmage (1,709). Foster’s remarkable season has come by surprise to a lot of people after he went undrafted in 2009, partly because he ran a pedestrian-like 4.7-second 40-yard dash.

”I just kind of take what the defense gives me,” Foster says. “I’m a real smooth runner; I think I’m deceptively fast, I get upfield and I can make you miss in the open field.”

And Ravens Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata agrees with Foster’s self assessment. “He hits the hole hard once he sees it, and he’s been doing that consistently against every team,” Ngata said. “He’ll start you one way and then once he sees that hole, he’ll just hit it. He’s pretty good.”

Kubiak Back to Denver?

Houston head coach Gary Kubiak made a name for himself as Denver’s offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Shanahan. Kubiak was the man calling plays for John Elway, and after Denver owner Pat Bowlen fired Josh McDainels, rumors have been swirling in the Mile High City.

Elway’s name has been mentioned to take over the personnel side of the organization (director of football operations) for Bowlen after he expressed a sincere interest in the job. And if he gets the job, Elway’s top choice for the head coaching spot is said to be Kubiak. The two came into the league together in 1983 and then they worked together and won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Broncos.

But will Kubiak be willing to leave his hometown of Houston? And is he the right man for the job? In five seasons as Houston’s head coach, Kubiak and the Texans have just one winning season. Keep an eye on this situation if it heats up as it may be a distraction for the Houston team going forward, especially if they continue to lose games.

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