Texans vs. Ravens 2013: Defending Super Bowl champs Baltimore crush Houston

Reed had been rehabbing all off-season following hip surgery this summer. He missed the first two games of the season, but was able to return to Baltimore. Still, Reed believes he could have played in Week 2.

The former first-round pick was able to notch three tackles in his season debut and head coach Gary Kubiak felt he moved well on the field.

Cody suffered the injury in the first quarter and did not return to action.

The injury does not appear to be one that should keep Cody out of the lineup for an extended period of time, but still strikes at the lack of depth right now on the Ravens defensive line.

TexansDC of Battle Red Blog thinks the boatload of penalties caused by the Texans were the reason for their lack of success on Sunday:

Zachary Beard of Baltimore Beatdown believes the Ravens’ defense and special teams deserve a lot of credit for their recent success:

If Oakland has one thing going for them at this point, it’s the fact that this is an AFC West rivalry matchup and they know the Broncos well. Last season Oakland lost both games, but they weren’t totally dominated. They weren’t particularly close games, but it was always clear they were playing them harder. If Oakland hopes to win this one though, they’ll need to be even better.

Let’s take a look at both teams below.

Baltimore needs to find a way to move the ball on offense, because it’s unlikely the Ravens can lean on defense and special teams all game long. Without Ray Rice, the offense has just 14 rushing yards so far.

• Week 3 picks: Beware of big spreads

• Week 3 picks: Beware of big spreads

• An illustrated guide to playing cornerback

Sunday, Sept. 22, 1 p.m. ET

M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

While Rice in in the midst of a slow start -- just 72 rushing yards and a score through two games -- he has been a picture of consistency in the Ravens’ offense. Not only has the Rutgers product played in 43 straight games, but has compiled more than 1,600 total yards from scrimmage in each of the last four seasons.

If Rice doesn’t make it into the game, the Texans can expect a healthy dose of Bernard Pierce. In his second season, Pierce carries a career 4.5 yards per rush and has two touchdowns in limited work.

The running back was expected to be a game-time decision as he battles a hip flexor injury, with head coach John Harbaugh describing him as day-to-day earlier this week. Having missed consecutive practices on Wednesday and Thursday, however, the team doesn’t like his chances of taking the field against the Texans.

One of the league’s most dependable backs over the past few seasons, Rice has struggled thus far in 2013, posting just 72 yards and one touchdown through two games. After averaging no less than four yards per carry through his first five NFL seasons, the three-time Pro Bowler has averaged just 2.9 yards so far this year.

Still, five of eight experts at CBS Sports have the Ravens winning at home this week. Writer John Breech is one of the three to take the Texans on the road.

Both experts at Yahoo! Sports went with Houston, while a full nine of 13 experts at ESPN are picking the Texans.