arian foster

When the AFC's only two winning teams play Sunday afternoon at Houston's Reliant Stadium, the winner will improve to 6-1 and become the clear front runner in a conference presently marred by mediocrity.

The Ravens offense isn't the only one that needs to get off to a fast start in the first half of Sunday's game. Obviously, every team wants to get an early lead, but scoring early will be just as important for a Houston Texans offense that is built to hold a big lead, not erase one. The Texans have one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL, but they want to get a lead, pound the ball on the ground with running backs Arian Foster and Ben Tate, then generate big plays with play-action passes from quarterback Matt Schaub.

Andre Johnson may be off to the quietest start of his career, but the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver has caught 17 balls for 251 yards and two touchdowns in last two meetings with Ravens

Outside linebacker not expected to play Sunday

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday.

Baltimore Sun NFL picks: Ravens at Texans

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too.

Haloti Ngata, Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Jimmy Smith dealing with various injuries; Houston Texans practiced without starting cornerback Johnathan Joseph

Baltimore Ravens strong safety Bernard Pollard is angry about defensive struggles

Houston coach Gary Kubiak said Sunday's game without Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis won't be the same; Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson's playing time has been limited

Each Wednesday, blogger Matt Vensel will highlight five statistics that really mean something for the Ravens. This week, he looks at Jimmy Smith stepping in for Lardarius Webb, the dominance of Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and the team's chances of earning home-field advantage at season's end.

he Texans fell behind, 14-0, and were playing catch-up the whole game. But the Packers pulled away for good on the first drive of the second half.

The Ravens will be a solid underdog going into Sunday¿s game against the only other team in the AFC with a winning record, and there¿s no way to argue with the oddsmakers after the way the defense gave up big yardage on the ground the past two weeks and lost both Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb to season-ending injuries.

Cowboys made it a priority to run against vulnerable Ravens defense

It's been a couple of weeks since replacement officials ruled over all National Football League games for the first three weeks of the regular season, but Havre de Grace native and replacement referee Pete Shafer still has excitement for a job he aspired to do.

Dallas Cowboys fullback Lawrence Vickers and Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis aren't strangers.

Every Monday, the day after our favorite day of the week but still hours before that week's slate of games officially wraps up with "Monday Night Football," Matt Vensel will bring you his weekly premature NFL power rankings. Why Monday? Because who wants to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday for power rankings?

Here's a look at how the upcoming NFL season might unfold.

This is what the 25-year-old had waited for all offseason: a multi-year commitment from the Ravens, and a chance to report to training camp next week armed with a new lucrative contract and long-term security.

Ray Rice rushed for 4,377 yards in his first four NFL seasons, all before the Ravens running back had celebrated his 25th birthday.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti touched on a variety of topics. Here are his thoughts on some of the prevailing subjects affecting the Ravens.

Ray Rice, the Ravens' star running back who has stayed away from the team's facility this offseason as his agent attempts to secure a contract extension for him, is not expected to be at OTAs, but that should not be taken as a sign that the negotiations are going poorly.

McCoy could pave way for Rice deal

Before playing in Torrey Smith's charity basketball game on Friday, Ray Rice declined comment when The Baltimore Sun asked the running back about his contract situation. But on Tuesday, after representing the Ravens at the NFL's unveiling of its new Nike uniforms, he opened up to reporters about getting a deal done.

The Houston Texans have reportedly agreed to a contract extension with running back Arian Foster, a deal that will surely be discussed in the ongoing contract negotiations between the Ravens and running back Ray Rice. Both are 25, Pro Bowl players and key offensive contributors on teams that won their divisions in 2011.

Ravens running back Ray Rice is scheduled to become a free agent, but the team will place the franchise tag on him by March 5 in the hopes of working out a long-term deal with the Pro Bowl back. That's a bummer for teams looking for an elite back as Rice would have been the best available runner.

Running back and team will have until July 16 to negotiate a new, long-term deal

Monday marks the first day teams are allowed to place the franchise tag on one of their own unrestricted free agents, meaning that the Ravens are officially on the clock in their effort to sign Ray Rice to a contract extension.

Meet the Recruit: Terps running back commitment Kenneth Goins Jr.

Many residents stay in Harford for Sunday's playoff against the Texans