The game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans has been postponed due to the damage caused by Hurricane Ike.  It will be replayed on November 9th in Houston.  The Texans and Ravens both had officially had their byes moved up to this week and that’s too early but the Texans refused to play the game anywhere but Houston.

The Ravens pulled a shocker in the home opener upending the Bengals last Sunday.  Rookie Joe Flacco had a solid NFL debut as he completed 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards and he also carried the ball 4 times for 37 yards (9.3 ypc) with a 38-yard TD run.  Fullback LeRon McClain had a huge game for the Ravens as he carried the ball 19 times for 86 yards (4.5 ypc) and he also added 2 catches for 24 yards.  Rookie Ray Rice carried the ball 22 times for 64 yards (2.9 ypc) and he caught 3 passes for 19 yards (6.3 avg).  But, not all was good for Rice in his NFL debut as he lost a fumble that Bengals’ CB Jonathan Joseph returned 65-yards for a TD.  WR Mark Clayton only caught 3 passes for 21 yards (7.0 avg) but he also ran the ball on a double reverse 42-yards for a TD.  The Ravens had possession of the football for an amazing 36:15 in this football game and that helped keep the Ravens’ Defense fresh.

The Ravens’ Defense was flying to the football in this game as they suffocated the Bengals’ offense last Sunday.  Linebacker Jarrett Johnson led the way for the Ravens’ D with 6 tackles and a sack.  CB Chris McAllister was the best defender on this day for the Ravens as he made 4 tackles, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.  The Bengals finished up with 229 yards rushing on 46 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 25 passes for 89 yards.  The Ravens’ Defense will likely have to carry the team this season and they looked good against the Bengals.

The Ravens have signed 36-year old QB Todd Bouman.  Bouman played well in the preseason for the Jaguars this year completing 20 of 33 passes (60.6%) for 275 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions (107.5 QB Rating).  But, Bouman doesn’t have a lot of game experience on Sundays.  He has played in 42 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 129 of 230 passes (56.1%) for 1,683 yards with 11 TD passes and 11 interceptions (75.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 21 times for 86 yards (4.1 ypc) in his career.

The Bengals are only a 1.5 point favorite in the season opener but they feel very confident they will prevail.  Carson Palmer will be looking to attack a Ravens’ secondary that’s starting to look beat up already physically.  Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh could both have good games unless CBs Samari Rolle and Chris McAllister bring their A-games.  The Bengals must keep DEs Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce out of Palmer’s face if he’s going to attack the Ravens down the football field.  The secret weapon for the Bengals on offense in this football game will be TE Ben Utecht as Ed Reed is banged up and Dawan Landry is a little green yet.  The Bengals know that running the football will be hard against the Ravens due to DT Haloti Ngata and linebackers Ray Lewis and Bart Scott.  Still, Chris Perry and Kenny Watson will get the football put in their hands often to see if the Bengals’ brass made a good move in letting Rudi Johnson walk.

With rookie QB Joe Flacco making his NFL debut the Ravens will likely try to lean on the running game.  The problem with that is Willis McGahee is banged up right now.  That could mean that two rookies (RB Ray Rice and QB Joe Flacco) will have the weight of the offense on their shoulders and that might be too much to ask of them in their NFL debuts.  DT Domata Peko and MLB Dhani Jones will likely get challenged by the Ravens in the running game but the Ravens better keep their eyes on OLBs Keith Rivers and Darryl Blackstock who are up and coming players.  Strong safety Dexter Jackson will also help out against the run as he likes to bring the pain.  Jackson will also have his hands full with TE Todd Heap who might make Flacco look good as he usually catches anything he can get a finger on.  The Ravens will likely keep the passing game short with Heap and WRs Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton.  This will put pressure on talented young CBs Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph. 

PREDICTION:  CINCINNATI BENGALS 24, BALTIMORE RAVENS 10

I don’t see any scenario where I think the Ravens will win more than seven games.  I would bet the ranch on the under as rookie QB Joe Flacco is being thrown into the fire without much support on offense.  The Ravens’ once great defense is starting to get long in tooth and could start falling apart at any time now.  Next April the Ravens will be drafting very, very high!