The Ravens may have had their best year in 2011 since they won the Super Bowl over a decade ago.

Baltimore lost to New England in the AFC Championship game, and was a Lee Evans’ dropped pass away from making it to the Super Bowl.

Baltimore’s defense was dominant once again, allowing just 16.6 points per game. Quarterback Joe Flacco is still a question mark in some people’s eyes, but the Ravens show no signs of replacing him, and Ray Rice remains one of the best running backs in the NFL.

The Ravens still have some holes to fill heading into the 2012 Season. Here are Baltimore’s biggest draft needs, as well as some players they will target.

Offensive Line

The Ravens had a strong offensive line last year, but they still have room to improve. Pro Bowl guard Ben Grubbs left as a free agent to play for the Saints. Center Matt Birk is still with the team, but there are rumors that he could be retiring in the near future. Birk is 35 years old and will be entering his 14th season in 2012.

If the Ravens decide to draft an offensive lineman with the 29th pick in the first round, they’ll likely go after center Peter Konz from Wisconsin. Konz could step in for Grubbs, and be Birk’s eventually replacement. Amini Silatolu out of Midwestern State and Brandon Brooks from Miami of Ohio would be good second round options for Baltimore.

Wide Receiver

Baltimore has never been traditionally strong at wide receiver.

The Ravens thought they might have finally found a number one option when they traded for Anquan Boldin. Boldin has been an average wide out since joining the team in 2010, failing to receive 900 yards in either of his two seasons with the club. Torrey Smith had a good year as a rookie, but still has a lot to prove.

Wide receivers Kendall Wright from Baylor and Rueben Randle out of LSU will be on the Ravens radar in the first round. Baltimore will probably wait until round two to select a receiver. Chris Givens of Wake Forest is the best fit for the Ravens at number 60 overall.

Defensive Line

While not necessarily a weakness for the Ravens, Baltimore could certainly afford to improve its defensive line. The team lost starting defensive end Cory Redding and backup nose tackle Brandon McKinney to free agency.

Baltimore could go with Chandler Jones from Syracuse to replace Redding. Jones is a natural fit, as his brother Arthur is already on the team. If the Ravens decide to wait a round to take a defensive lineman, Jared Crick from Nebraska might be their best option.

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INDIANAPOLIS — The pencils are sharpened. The stopwatches are ready. And a phalanx of coaches, general managers and scouts will be looking on intently as draft prospects audition for the NFL.

Along with their NFL brethren, the Baltimore Ravens are armed with questions for draft prospects as they launch an intense evaluation period today at the annual scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Ravens won’t officially be on the clock with the 29th overall pick of the first round until late April, but this marks a pivotal step in the process in terms of gathering information.

The medical exams and the character evaluation gleaned from interviews are regarded as the most valuable aspects of the combine beyond the Olympic style testing, including the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical leap, broad jump and short shuttle.

The Ravens have plenty of time to zero in on who they want to draft. However, there’s a strong chance their pending needs will match up well with the meat of this draft: the offensive line.

“When you talk about your interior offensive line you could have some free agency issues,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “I think one of the best classes here is the interior offensive linemen in this draft. Depending on how it plays out, I think there’s a lot of flexibility with that interior offensive lineman draft. I think for the first three rounds, you can get a lot of quality at center or guard.”

Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro is regarded as the top player at his position, but is likely to be off the draft board by the Ravens’ turn to pick.

And Wisconsin standout center Peter Konz is another strong candidate for the Ravens’ first-round draft pick.

Other offensive line possibilities include Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler, University of Georgia tackle-guard Cordie Glenn and Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams.

The Ravens could also target University of Georgia center Ben Jones in the second round. Jones had a solid Senior Bowl.

“DeCastro to me is a first round interior offensive lineman,” Mayock said. “Peter Konz is a late one to mid two. I think Zeitler from Wisconsin is also in that same range, and you might be able to get a guy like Ben Jones from Georgia late in the second round.”

Besides the offensive line, the Ravens could also use help at inside linebacker.

While Boston College standout Luke Kuechly is unlikely to be around, the Ravens could explore the merits of big, hard-hitting Alabama middle linebacker Don’t’a Hightower.

Arizona State middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s draft stock has plummeted lately due to temperament issues, drawing multiple personal fouls for a lack of discipline on the field.

“I think a guy like Dont’a Hightower could be available in the first round, but there are positives and negatives about him,” Mayock said. “He’s a big, strong, downhill inside linebacker.”

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said that he intends to continue to build the wide receiver position, where veteran Lee Evans is considered likely to be released unless he restructures his contract.

The Ravens aren’t expected to acquire a high-profile wide receiver via free agency such as Wes Welker, Vincent Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Stevie Johnson, Brandon Lloyd or DeSean Jackson

However, Reggie Wayne, Mario Manningham, Robert Meacham and Laurent Robinson could be of interest to Baltimore depending on the price.

“As far as the wide receiver position is concerned, now that’s kind of interesting,” Mayock said. “If Michael Floyd runs well, he’ll be in the top 15 or 20. If he doesn’t run well, he’ll probably slide a little bit.”

The Ravens could may add a few hybrid 3-4 outside linebacker-defensive ends.

The elite edge guys in a thin group of pass rushers are Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw and South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram.

“The pass rushers aren’t great here in this draft,” Mayock said. “Now if Melvin Ingram and Courtney Upshaw was around later, I think they’d be interesting with a team like the Ravens. I’m not sure either of them will be there, but they’re interesting kind of guys for the Ravens.”

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver
Anquan Boldin will miss the final two National Football League
regular-season games after surgery to repair a slight tear in
his knee cartilage, coach John Harbaugh said.

“He will be back for the playoffs, whichever round we have
to play in,” Harbaugh said yesterday after Boldin’s procedure.
“It will be a little tighter if we have to play in the first
round.”

The Ravens (10-4) have clinched a playoff spot and are tied
with the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the American Football
Conference North division heading into this weekend’s games. If
they finish the season with the second-best record in the AFC,
they will get a first-round playoff bye.

Boldin, the team’s leading wide receiver with 887 yards on
57 catches, will be replaced by rookie Torrey Smith and veteran
Lee Evans for the Ravens’ games against Cleveland and
Cincinnati. They will be the first games Boldin has missed in
two years with the team.

“We’ve got two tight ends that are really good, so we’re
going to go out there and still attack and do everything we know
how to do,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “Obviously, we’re
going to miss Anquan, but it’s an opportunity for him to get
better and hopefully he’ll come back strong.”

To contact the reporter on this story:
Nancy Kercheval in Washington at
nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

TONY GROSSI SCOUTS THE BALTIMORE RAVENS

Kickoff: Browns at Ravens, Saturday 1 p.m. in M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore.

Record: 10-4.

Most recent game: Lost to Chargers, 34-14, Dec. 18, in San Diego.

Coach: John Harbaugh, 46-23, fourth year.

Series record: Ravens lead, 18-7.

Most recent meeting: Ravens won, 24-10, Dec. 4 in Cleveland.

League rankings: Offense is 15th overall (16th rushing, 16th passing), defense is third (second rushing, fifth passing) and turnover differential is plus-1.

Offensive overview

Despite having all the pieces, they still aren’t able to push the pedal to floor and score like the elite offenses. They’ve gone four games in a row without scoring more than 24 points — hitting that figure in wins over the Browns and Colts, but scoring only 30 combined against the 49ers and Chargers. This inconsistency might only be a concern to them in the postseason when they get hooked up in a scoring duel with the likes of New England and Houston, or New Orleans or Green Bay in the Big Game. Otherwise, they can win by handing off and throwing to Ray Rice and dumping to tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta and receiver Anquan Boldin. The long game to rookie Torrey Smith and, some day, Lee Evans, is what may put them over the top.

Defensive overview

If they don’t get pass pressure, they are as vulnerable as any defense. In their four losses, they have registered only five sacks. The Chargers took command early by hitting them with quick passes and screens. The pressure was lacking even though they finally got linebacker Ray Lewis back after missing several games with turf toe. Their cast of characters is well-known and widely feared — tackle Haloti Ngata, rush linebackers Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson, safety Ed Reed. Bernard Pollard has been an enforcer at strong safety. The cornerback position suffered when Lardarius Webb was reduced to nickel duty. Rookie Jimmy Smith was picked on in his first NFL start.

Special teams overview

Kicker Billy Cundiff is 27-of-36 in field goals with a long of 51 yards. He has missed three of his past five attempts, and his nine misses match the league’s most. Despite Cundiff’s 42 touchbacks, the Ravens are only 29th in average drive start after kickoffs — which means they give up some healthy returns when Cundiff doesn’t boot it out of the end zone. Punter Sam Koch is 10th in gross average (46.6 yards) and 12th in net (39.7). David Reed is back on kick returns after losing the job earlier because of fumbles. Webb hit the Browns with a 68-yard punt return but is hobbled.

Players to watch

Running back Ray Rice: His record 204 yards rushing in the first meeting vaulted him up the NFL leaderboard. He’s now fifth with 1,086 yards and 10 TDs on the ground, and added two among his team- high 71 receptions.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs: He was kept fairly at bay in the first meeting, netting only one sack. His 13 lead the AFC and tie for fifth in the NFL.

Safety Ed Reed: Three of his eight career interception returns for touchdowns have come against the Browns. He, too, was relatively quiet in the first meeting.

Injury report

PK Cundiff (calf) has played but not practiced the past two weeks. CB Webb (toe) was limited all week but played in nickel.

Small world

Among the many players, coaches and executives who formerly worked or played for the Browns are: General Manager Ozzie Newsome, senior personnel assistant George Kokinis, defensive line coach Clarence Brooks, defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, director of pro personnel Vince Newsome, vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty, assistant special teams coach Marwan Maalouf and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg. . . . Receiver Lee Evans attended Bedford High School. . . . Safety Haruki Nakamura is a Cleveland native who attended St. Edward High School. . . . Scout Jack Glowik is a Cleveland native who attended Benedictine High School. . . . Linebackers coach Dean Pees is a former head coach at Kent State.

Indianapolis —
While the Baltimore Ravens may be known for its tenacious, hard-hitting defense, the AFC North co-leaders also have a pretty good offense that is led by running back Ray Rice, quarterback Joe Flacco and coordinator Cam Cameron.

With Cameron — who grew up in Terre Haute while playing and coaching at Indiana University — calling the plays from the sidelines, Baltimore ranks sixth in the National Football League in scoring at 24.7 points per game, 15th in total offense (345 yards per game), 14th in passing offense (230.2) and tied for 14th in rushing offense (114.8).

Rice is the offensive anchor for the Ravens, leading the team in rushing for 926 yards and nine touchdowns in 208 carries. He has also caught a team-high 56 passes for 547 yards and two TDs. The former Rutgers standout had a career-best 204 rushing yards in last week’s 24-10 division win over Cleveland.

Flacco, meanwhile, has completed 240-of-434 passing attempts for 2,895 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Baltimore’s receiving corps, meanwhile, is talented and deep.

Anquan Bolden — at 6-foot-1, 223-pounds — is a physical load who has hauled in 50 passes for 779 yards and  three touchdowns. Tight end Ed Dickson has 46 catches and three touchdowns. And rookie Torrey Smith has added 32 receptions and a team-leading five TDs. The Ravens also added former Buffalo receiver Lee Evans in a mid-season trade.

“You look at them and they are a run-oriented team. But they can also throw the ball. Flacco can throw the ball well, but when you look at their game [against the Browns], I think they had 55 rushing attempts or something like that,” Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell previewed.

“Ray Rice had a banner day. You’re going to have to contend with them from the standpoint that they’re a physical team that can hurt you in a number of different ways. They give you a lot of problems.”

Former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams is Baltimore’s primary backup at running back and has rushed for 338 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But the Ravens’ offense is all about Rice first and foremost.

“Anytime that a guy can lead his team in rushing and lead his team in pass receiving, it’s pretty special. If you think about it, last week between he and Ricky Williams, they combined for 280 yards rushing. That’s ridiculous, and that’s a lot of yardage,” Caldwell said.

“That’s because of the fact that those guys are very, very good players. Ray Rice is one of those guys that has speed, he has power, he’s compact and he has excellent vision as well. He’s one of those guys that can also catch the ball out of the backfield, not only on screens, which he does, but also when they check it down to him he knows what to do with it when he gets it in open space. He’s pretty dangerous, so he’s a tough guy to handle.”

Rice has drawn favorable comparisons to Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew, both in stature and playing style.

“They’re similar guys. Both guys are fast guys. Both are compact. Both can catch and run it,. [And] both of them are very, very competitive and tough players. There are a lot of similarities between the two,” the Colts coach voiced.

The hard-to-tackle running back tries to downplay his importance to the Ravens’ offensive game plan.

“We know that we’ve got capable and great receivers on this team. When you find yourself in [a difficult] situation, I always try to be able to get Joe Flacco out of a situation. Him being able to find me, whether it’s a check-down, a route or a broken play, I just try to be a quarterback’s outlet. If he doesn’t have to take a sack, then I’ll be there for him,” Rice said.

BEREA, Ohio — If anyone knows the value of a deep-threat wide receiver, it is Baltimore Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome. He’s been searching for one for years.

“Once you have the quarterback, eventually you have to get that [receiver] piece,” Newsome said Tuesday in a phone interview. “You have to have somebody to throw to.”

Since drafting strong-armed quarterback Joe Flacco in the first round in 2008, Newsome has tried, mostly in vain, to acquire a fast, reliable receiver to complete his offense. Famously known for their dominating defense, the Ravens had all the other offensive pieces in place, notably all-purpose running back Ray Rice and a strong line. But even though the Ravens reached the postseason in each of Flacco’s first three seasons, the team exited each time because of a lack of firepower.

In 2010, Newsome traded for Anquan Boldin and signed Donte Stallworth and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. This year, he thought he had the problem solved through a trade for Lee Evans, but Evans missed seven games with an ankle injury. In stepped second-round rookie Torrey Smith, who has Newsome believing his search is over.

“Having his presence on the field is huge, because now people know we can take the top off the defense,” Newsome said.

Smith was taken with the 58th overall pick — exactly one spot before the Browns chose Greg Little in the second round. Smith’s impact on the Ravens has been similar to that on the Cincinnati Bengals by A.J. Green, who was the draft’s fourth overall selection.

Smith has had a three-touchdown game against St. Louis, set up a game-winning field goal with a long catch against Arizona, and hauled in the game-winning touchdown against Pittsburgh (after a few drops). He’s had two of the top five receiving games in Ravens history — 152 yards vs. St. Louis and 165 vs. Cincinnati — and is second in the NFL with a yards per catch average of 19.8. Smith has five touchdowns among his 31 catches.

“Our whole passing game has become complete because we have a vertical presence now, two young tight ends that can convert against linebackers and safeties, and Anquan who can make plays all over the field, as well as having one of the best [receiving] backs out of the backfield,” Newsome said.

Newsome talked of the importance of having that dangerous speed receiver after reviewing the coaches tape of Green snatching victory for the Bengals out of the air against the Browns on Sunday.

“What it does, it’s like having a great tailback,” Newsome said. “When you go into a game and you have a player like that, the first thing as an offensive staff you say, ‘OK, what are they going to do to take him away?’ Then when you find that out, that helps you to be able to dictate how you’re going to play the game. Whatever they’re going to do, it allows you to say, ‘OK, this is how we need to play the game.’ Because they’ll have some type of plan of taking him away.

“You have to be able to get the cheap touchdown,” Newsome went on. “At the end of the day, we’re still going to run the football. People know when we show up, you’re gonna have to stop the run. Then people put that eighth and ninth guy in the box. How do you defeat the eighth and ninth guy in the box? You have to go on top of them.

“It’s hand in hand. If you can’t run, they’re just gonna play cover 2 and that takes the vertical game right out it. But if they play cover 2 and try to defend the run with six or seven in the box, you’re out there to run it. So you have to field a team, not just one aspect of it. This league is so good, they can take one thing away.”

The trouble is finding that special receiver to strike fear in defenses.

“I think you have to look at three ways of trying to make that happen,” Newsome said. “You can go through the draft, do it through free agency if one of them makes it, or do it through trade.

“In order to get one of those guys, you probably have to be picking in the top five of the draft. I don’t want that as an option. So then, the next viable option is, you try to get one and you try to develop one. Right now, if Torrey continues the way he’s going, then people will have to do something to take him away, because he’s a home run threat.”

As Newsome’s fortune would have it, Evans is healthy now as the Ravens embark on the final rounds of a knockdown, drag-out fight for the AFC North.

“Lee Evans proved to us that he can do it, then he got hurt. So now we have basically two guys that can take the top off the defense,” Newsome said.

On Twitter: @TonyGrossi

Tony Grossi’s Scouting Report

Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens

Sunday, 4:05 p.m., in Cleveland Browns Stadium

Record: 8-3.

Last game: Beat 49ers, 16-9, Nov. 24, in Baltimore.

Coach: John Harbaugh, 44-22, fourth year.

Series record: Ravens lead, 17-7.

Last meeting: Ravens won, 20-10, Dec. 26, in Cleveland.

League rankings: Offense is 17th overall (26th rushing, 13th passing), defense is third (third rushing, fifth passing) and turnover differential is plus-4.

Offensive overview: Coordinator Cam Cameron has taken grief for throwing too much and ignoring all-purpose running back Ray Rice. Conversations with the coach and management, plus the onset of inclement weather, have taken care of that oversight. Early on, Cameron was preoccupied with developing quarterback Joe Flacco’s deep passing game. While it may have cost the team a win or two, the benefit has been the development of rookie Torrey Smith, who is a bona fide deep threat but still suffers an occasional drop. Smith got playing time while veteran trade acquisition Lee Evans missed seven games with an ankle injury. With Evans back, Flacco has two vertical targets, a fairly dependable intermediate target in Anquan Boldin, tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta, and Rice to throw to. Quite a cockpit for Flacco to operate from.

Defensive overview: Former Browns DB coach Chuck Pagano took over as coordinator with the marching orders to restore a pass rush in the defensive attack. Boy, has he. After a nine-sack tour de force against the 49ers on Thanksgiving night, the club leads the NFL with 38 sacks and 16 forced fumbles, and is second with 10 recoveries. Their formula is simple: stop the run on early downs (yielding league-low 3.4 yards per rush), force the opponent into third-and-longs and then pressure the quarterback into turnovers or, at worst, sacks. Experienced playmakers such as tackle Haloti Ngata, linebacker Terrell Suggs and safety Ed Reed make this unit a coordinator’s dream. It registered the nine sacks last game without linebacker Ray Lewis (turf toe). The new name on the unit is cornerback Jimmy Smith, a first-round draft pick, who has one interception and is developing his rookie year as the third corner.

Special teams overview: Kicker Billy Cundiff is 25 of 31 on field goals with a long of 51 yards, his only conversion in six attempts over 50. He is second in the NFL with 38 touchbacks. When Cundiff doesn’t knock them out of the end zone, the Ravens’ kick coverage ranks 31st and has given up a 107-yard touchdown return. Punter Sam Koch is 10th in gross average (46.8 yards) and 11th in net (39.8).

Players to watch:

• Linebacker Terrell Suggs: One of the most prolific sack artists of his time, he has 12 career sacks and seven forced fumbles against the Browns. His nine sacks rank second in the AFC and seventh in the league overall.

• Safety Ed Reed: Talk about Browns-killer. He has more interceptions (10), interceptions for touchdowns (three) and passes defensed (18) against the Browns than any other opponent.

• Receiver Torrey Smith: This second-round rookie already owns two of the franchise’s top five receiving days. His 19.8-yard average — 30 catches for 613 yards and five TD — ranks second among NFL receivers.

Injury report: LB Ray Lewis (toe) has missed the last two games. DB Chris Carr (back), LB Dannell Ellerbe (groin), DT Arthur Jones (concussion), and RB Anthony Allen (thigh) all missed the last game.

Small world: Among the many players, coaches and executives who formerly worked or played for the Browns are: General Manager Ozzie Newsome, senior personnel assistant George Kokinis, defensive line coach Clarence Brooks, defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, director of pro personnel Vince Newsome, vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty, assistant special teams coach Marwan Maalouf and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg. … Receiver Lee Evans attended Bedford High School. … Safety Haruki Nakamura is a Cleveland native who attended St. Edward High School. … Scout Jack Glowik is a Cleveland native who attended Benedictine High School. … Linebackers coach Dean Pees is a former head coach at Kent State.

– Tony Grossi

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – For years, the Baltimore Ravens have tried — without success — to put together an offence that could match the play of its esteemed defence.

They hoped that several off-season moves and the maturation of quarterback Joe Flacco would make a difference this season. Over the first four weeks, it appeared as if the changes had successfully taken hold.

Then came Monday night’s performance in Jacksonville, a stinker of historical proportions that showed just how far Baltimore’s offence has to go to be a factor on a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

The Ravens didn’t make a first down until the third quarter, converted only two of 12 third-down opportunities and managed only 146 yards, including a franchise-record low 16 yards before halftime. It all added up to a 12-7 defeat that dropped Baltimore (4-2) out of first place in the AFC North.

Rather than dance around the subject, coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday acknowledged the obvious.

“No excuses. It has to be a lot better. Not even close to the way we’re capable of performing on offence,” he said. “Everybody realizes that. We have to do a better job, starting with me. I got to do a better job of making some decisions. We all have to do a better job of coaching, playing, executing, all those different things.”

The off-season addition of linemen Bryant McKinnie and Andre Gurode, along with fullback Vonta Leach and wide receiver Lee Evans, was supposed to improve an attack that sputtered at times last season. After the Ravens scored 35 in the opener against Pittsburgh and dropped 37 points on the St. Louis Rams, there was optimism that Baltimore had finally become a complete team.

Not quite.

Ray Rice gained only 28 yards on the ground against the Jaguars and Flacco received very little protection during a night that ended, appropriately, with an interception.

“That was a tough loss,” Harbaugh said. “We played bad on one side of the ball especially, and we didn’t play well enough on the other two sides to overcome that.”

Perhaps, but it’s tough to fault a defence that didn’t allow a touchdown or blame the special teams, even if Billy Cundiff did miss horribly on a 51-yard field goal try.

No, this one was all about the offence — or lack of it. Sure the line is a work in progress, and Evans has been missing for weeks with a sprained ankle. But there is no excuse for a performance that awful.

“We’ve been pretty wildly inconsistent, especially on offence,” Harbaugh said. “With our offensive line situation, I don’t think that’s completely unexpected.”

Offensive co-ordinator Cam Cameron said, “First of all you have to be fundamentally sound. We have some new moving parts. That’s not an excuse. That’s something we’re working through.”

Rice rushed only eight times, lost a fumble and spent long stretches on the bench. He never got into a groove, and the same can be said for the offence as a whole.

“He’s got to get more than eight carries,” Harbaugh said. “We were just trying to find a way to beat the defence and get a first down and get going. Because when you do that, that’s when those carries start adding up. You go three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, it’s going to be hard to get those carries stacked up too much.

“You go first-down run and you get a yard, now you’ve got to find a way to get nine yards on the next two. By the same token, eight carries is never going to be a winning formula for Ray Rice, there’s no doubt about it.”

Harbaugh was asked if Cameron deserved much of the blame.

“It’s warranted for all of us,” he replied. “We all deserve to have fingers pointed at us when the offence plays like that. That’s tough. It’s just a bad performance and everyone knows it. … It’s still early in the season, but we can’t afford more performances like that. We all know that.”

While the Baltimore Ravens were getting healthier during their bye week, the Houston Texans were ravaged even more by injury. When the Texans head into Baltimore on Sunday, their two best players almost certainly won’t be with them.

Hardly the formula for an upset.

The Texans lost star receiver Andre Johnson before last week’s game against Oakland with a right hamstring injury. Then Mario Williams, the outstanding defensive end making an encouraging adjustment to linebacker in Wade Phillips’ system, damaged a chest muscle in the loss to the Raiders and is gone for the season.

Suddenly, the heavy favourite in the AFC South no longer seems such a cinch to win that division. And Houston is a 7 ½-point underdog at Baltimore, where the Ravens are rested and super confident following two straight decisive victories.

Baltimore (3-1) is uncertain if first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith will be back from a high left ankle sprain, but is hopeful guard Ben Grubbs (right toe) and receiver Lee Evans (left ankle) can go.

Shell-shocked Houston (3-2) just wants the injury trend to go in the other direction.

Coach Gary Kubiak and his bosses have discussed their options, and the Texans traded with the Jets for veteran Derrick Mason, a former Ravens receiver who should help at some point, if not this week.

“We’ve got a lot of things to look at right now,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got some challenges from a management standpoint … as we sit here and have to juggle some things as we move forward with these injuries and some of the things going on.”

Look for Houston to turn to the running game, it’s most reliable weapon with Arian Foster and Ben Tate. The problem there: hardly anybody runs successfully against Baltimore.

BEST BET, RAVENS 27-16

Buffalo (plus 3 ½) at N.Y. Giants

New York’s team — that would be the Bills — visits the Meadowlands with more impressive credentials than the hosts.

UPSET SPECIAL, BILLS 28-24

Dallas (plus 7) at New England

Usual formula says go with team coming off bye against one coming off emotional rivalry game. Not here.

PATRIOTS, 35-24

Jacksonville (plus 12) at Pittsburgh

Mismatch No. 1.

STEELERS, 30-10

St. Louis (plus 15) at Green Bay

Mismatch No. 2 — only much bigger. Aaron Rodgers gets to rest by fourth quarter.

PACKERS 40-14

Philadelphia (minus 1 ½) at Washington

At some point, Pro Picks will abandon the Eagles the way the Philly fans already have. Not quite yet.

EAGLES, 23-20

San Francisco (plus 5) at Detroit

One of these teams’ impressive strings gets snapped. Lions will test 49ers’ defence.

LIONS, 27-17

Carolina (plus 4 ½) at Atlanta

Time for the Falcons to get going. But Cam Newton keeps every game close.

FALCONS, 24-20

Indianapolis (plus 7) at Cincinnati

Always enticing when Peyton and Carson face off.

Oops.

BENGALS, 17-6

Cleveland (plus 6) at Oakland

Emotional times for Raiders. They’ll hang on, but barely.

RAIDERS, 24-23

New Orleans (minus 5) at Tampa Bay

Bucs need to forget last week’s debacle right away, or another one will happen.

SAINTS, 27-23

Miami (plus 7) at N.Y. Jets

(Monday night)

Sure seems like a small line. Jets are struggling, but Dolphins are falling apart.

JETS, 20-9

Minnesota (plus 3) at Chicago

Sure seems like a small line, too. Vikings’ win over Cardinals doesn’t impress us much.

BEARS, 19-10

RECORD

Against spread: 7-6 (overall 43-29-2)

Straight up: 8-5 (overall 52-25).

Best Bet: 1-4 against spread, 3-2 straight up.

Upset Special: 4-1 against spread, 3-2 straight up.

The Associated Press

The Baltimore Ravens are feeling confident and well-rested after their week
off, with several injured players hoping they’ll be back on the field this
weekend.

Meanwhile, with Mario Williams(notes) lost for the season and Matt Schaub(notes) also
hurting, the Houston Texans are probably wishing they were entering their bye
week.

The Ravens will try to stay unbeaten against the visiting Texans on Sunday
as they go for their third straight win overall.

Baltimore (3-1) entered its bye week following a 34-17 win over the New York
Jets on Oct. 2. In another impressive defensive display, the Ravens limited New
York to 150 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers.

Baltimore is holding opponents to an NFL-low 14.3 points per game, and ranks
third in total yards allowed per game (284.5) and second against the rush
(72.5).

“We can be special, but it all depends on where we go from here,” linebacker
Terrell Suggs(notes) said. “We can’t take any steps back because that’s not how
championship teams are built. Not in this league. You’ve got to make the
momentum snowball.”

Although the defense isn’t expected to get first-round draft pick Jimmy
Smith(notes) back this week from a high ankle sprain, the injury news is better on
offense with guard Ben Grubbs(notes) (right toe) and receiver Lee Evans(notes) (left ankle)
hoping to go.

Both Grubbs and Evans were being cautious this week, though, saying they
were day-to-day. Evans, in his first season with the Ravens after seven with
Buffalo, is off to a slow start. He caught two passes for 45 yards before
missing the last two games.

“It’s frustrating,” Evans said. “I’ve never been in this situation before.
The goal is to play without being hampered.”

Baltimore has scored 34 points or more in three of its first four games, but
quarterback Joe Flacco(notes) has completed less than 50 percent of his passes in two
contests and didn’t throw a touchdown pass in the win over the Jets.

Flacco, whose 243.3 passing yards per game rank 18th in the league, will
look to exploit a Texans (3-2) defense that could be down after losing Williams
for the season to a torn pectoral muscle.

Williams, who moved from defensive end to linebacker for 2011, was making
quick progress in his new role, recording five sacks and a forced fumble before
the getting hurt during last Sunday’s 25-20 loss to Oakland.

“You’re never going to replace a guy like Mario,” linebacker Brian Cushing(notes)
said. “At the same time, it’s the ‘next guy up’ attitude.”

Rookie Brooks Reed(notes), a second-round draft pick who had four tackles last
week, is expected to move into Williams’ spot in the starting lineup.

“It’s a great opportunity here in his young career to step up and be a
starter,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “That’s why we drafted him. (He’s) very
capable of doing it. He’ll get his opportunity here.”

Star receiver Andre Johnson(notes) also isn’t expected to play this weekend for
Houston. He’s missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, leaving Schaub
without his favorite target.

The Texans acquired veteran Derrick Mason(notes) from the Jets this week to help
add depth to the receiving corps. Mason, who had spent the previous six seasons
in Baltimore, made little impact in five games with New York, totaling 13
catches for 115 yards.

“He’s been very effective in this league, and we feel like we can catch him
up really fast,” Kubiak said. “That was a big key.”

Johnson’s injury isn’t the only concern on offense. Schaub is dealing with a
sore shoulder and a thigh bruise and missed practice Wednesday.

Fullback James Casey(notes) (strained pectoral muscle) and right guard Mike Brisiel(notes)
(ankle and knee) left last Sunday’s game and their status for this week is
uncertain.

All of those injuries will continue to place the burden of the offense on
Arian Foster(notes), who rushed for 68 yards and had 116 yards receiving last weekend
in his second game back from a hamstring injury.

Houston has never defeated Baltimore in four meetings. The Ravens won 34-28
in overtime last December despite blowing a 21-point lead on the road.

While the Baltimore Ravens were getting healthier during their bye week, the Houston Texans were ravaged even more by injury. When the Texans head into Baltimore on Sunday, their two best players almost certainly won’t be with them.

Hardly the formula for an upset.

The Texans lost star receiver Andre Johnson before last week’s game against Oakland with a right hamstring injury. Then Mario Williams, the outstanding defensive end making an encouraging adjustment to linebacker in Wade Phillips’ system, damaged a chest muscle in the loss to the Raiders and is gone for the season.

Suddenly, the heavy favourite in the AFC South no longer seems such a cinch to win that division. And Houston is a 7 1/2-point underdog at Baltimore, where the Ravens are rested and super confident following two straight decisive victories.

Baltimore (3-1) is uncertain if first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith will be back from a high left ankle sprain, but is hopeful guard Ben Grubbs (right toe) and receiver Lee Evans (left ankle) can go.

Shell-shocked Houston (3-2) just wants the injury trend to go in the other direction.

Coach Gary Kubiak and his bosses have discussed their options, and the Texans traded with the Jets for veteran Derrick Mason, a former Ravens receiver who should help at some point, if not this week.

“We’ve got a lot of things to look at right now,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got some challenges from a management standpoint … as we sit here and have to juggle some things as we move forward with these injuries and some of the things going on.”

Look for Houston to turn to the running game, it’s most reliable weapon with Arian Foster and Ben Tate. The problem there: hardly anybody runs successfully against Baltimore.

BEST BET, RAVENS 27-16

Buffalo (plus 3 1/2) at N.Y. Giants

New York’s team — that would be the Bills — visits the Meadowlands with more impressive credentials than the hosts.

UPSET SPECIAL, BILLS 28-24

Dallas (plus 7) at New England

Usual formula says go with team coming off bye against one coming off emotional rivalry game. Not here.

PATRIOTS, 35-24

Jacksonville (plus 12) at Pittsburgh

Mismatch No. 1.

STEELERS, 30-10

St. Louis (plus 15) at Green Bay

Mismatch No. 2 — only much bigger. Aaron Rodgers gets to rest by fourth quarter.

PACKERS 40-14

Philadelphia (minus 1 1/2) at Washington

At some point, Pro Picks will abandon the Eagles the way the Philly fans already have. Not quite yet.

EAGLES, 23-20

San Francisco (plus 5) at Detroit

One of these teams’ impressive strings gets snapped. Lions will test 49ers’ defence.

LIONS, 27-17

Carolina (plus 4 1/2) at Atlanta

Time for the Falcons to get going. But Cam Newton keeps every game close.

FALCONS, 24-20

Indianapolis (plus 7) at Cincinnati

Always enticing when Peyton and Carson face off.

Oops.

BENGALS, 17-6

Cleveland (plus 6) at Oakland

Emotional times for Raiders. They’ll hang on, but barely.

RAIDERS, 24-23

New Orleans (minus 5) at Tampa Bay

Bucs need to forget last week’s debacle right away, or another one will happen.

SAINTS, 27-23

Miami (plus 7) at N.Y. Jets (Monday night)

Sure seems like a small line. Jets are struggling, but Dolphins are falling apart.

JETS, 20-9

Minnesota (plus 3) at Chicago

Sure seems like a small line, too. Vikings’ win over Cardinals doesn’t impress us much.

BEARS, 19-10

___

RECORD:

Against spread: 7-6 (overall 43-29-2); straight up 8-5 (overall 52-25).

Best Bet: 1-4 against spread, 3-2 straight up.

Upset Special: 4-1 against spread, 3-2 straight up.

Read More: nfl injury report, ravens injury report, Lee Evans (WR – BAL), Torrey Smith (WR – BAL), Denarius Moore (WR – OAK), Baltimore Ravens

Following an explosive breakout performance against the St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith will get a second straight start against the New York Jets this Sunday. Wide receiver Lee Evans has been dealing with an ankle injury and coach John Harbaugh ruled him out for Sunday’s game, which gets Smith into the lineup one more time.

Smith blew up in the first quarter of the Ravens win over the Rams, hauling in receiving 133 yards and three touchdowns. He was quiet much of remainder of the game, but the impact was felt. And naturally that made him a huge pickup on fantasy football waiver wires. Along with Nate Washington and Victor Cruz, Smith was the guy everybody wanted this week.

The Ravens have a bye after this Sunday’s game, which should give Evans plenty of time to get healthy. If Smith comes back to earth with his performance on Sunday, it will be interesting to see whether he remains in the starting lineup, Lee Evans goes back in, or they move more towards some kind of rotation.

Rookie receiver Denarius Moore had a strong day against the Jets secondary last week so it might be worth a flex play if you picked up Torrey Smith this week.

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