When the Baltimore Ravens host the Houston Texans this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, they will know their job got a little bit easier due to the loss of WR Andre Johnson on offense and OLB Mario Williams on defense. This by no means makes the game a slam-dunk win for the Ravens, but whenever you lose two players of their combined caliber, it has to hurt your chances, especially when you are facing one of the top teams in the NFL on the road, which the Texans are doing here in Baltimore.
Matt Bowen of the National Football Post breaks down the Texans and lists the ways to attack the offense as well as their defense. Knowing full well that QB Matt Schaub is still a dangerous passer, regardless of who is on the receiving end of the throws will keep you on your feet, but it is still an advantage knowing that your defensive backs should be able to match up with anyone on their active roster.
That still means that you must respect his two tight ends, and if you can limit the damage they will cause and stop their running attack featuring Arian Foster, from being able to, as Bowen states, "move the sticks," then your chances at shutting down their high-powered offense greatly increases.
(NOTE: Interesting take from Bowen, as this column was written before the Texans lost 25-20 to the Oakland Raiders, who seemed to do their best to employ this exact philosophy in the game.)