Texans vs. Ravens: Expect Good Defense and Many Rushing Attempts, but Few Points

The fact that the Houston Texans are starting third-string rookie quarterback T.J. Yates is an obvious sign that their offense won't put up many points today.

However, the Texans have been the most effective rushing attack in football all season long, with or without Matt Schuab.

Their Shanahan-style zone blocking scheme, anchored by underrated players such as Chris Meyers and Eric Winston, has pushed around even some of the best fronts in football.

They will certainly be tested against the Ravens front, which has been stout against the run all season.

Moving the bodies of Haloti Ngata and Corey Redding will be anything but easy. However, Ray Lewis has not quite been the same since his injury, which certainly bodes well for the Texans. 

The Texans will also want to run the ball to keep Terrell Suggs in check. The last thing Houston wants is for their young, inexperienced quarterback to be exposed to a fearsome edge rusher like Suggs early in the game and affect his confidence. 

For Baltimore, their success seems to be always tied to the amount of touches Ray Rice gets. Going against a Texans defense that rushes the passer and covers very well, they must get Ray Rice going on the ground if they are to get the best of this defense. 

If they get caught trying to force the issue with the passing game like they did against Jacksonville, they will not find success.

Jonathan Joseph will probably get the best of Anquan Boldin and their edge protection will struggle against the likes of Connor Barwin.

Flacco may not get credit because of his lousy numbers, but making this a heavy-Ray Rice game is crucial for Baltimore. 

Running on the Texans is anything but easy, but the Ravens cannot afford turnovers in a tight, low-scoring game like this. 

As a result, both teams will have no choice but to run, and as a result, points will be at a premium.

This game is going to come down to turnovers and who makes the fewest mistakes.