Ravens control the edges, and neutralize the Texans, 29-14…

It was a case of binding up the Houston Texans’ running game…which would put a very good quarterback named Matt Schaub in a bind…and it worked!

Brilliant game plan by OC Cam Cameron as well, and a nice defensive stratego game by Head Coach John Harbaugh and DC Chuck Pagano…a symphony of coaching coordinators’ collaboration…

A very nice win by the 4-1 Ravens….

Ravens DT Terrence Cody crushes Texans’ all-pro running back Arian Foster in a crucial drive situation in first quarter of Sunday’s game at M&T Bank Stadium… and the beat went on.

Despite his gliding, seemingly effortless running style, Houston Texans’ running back Arian Foster had no answers for the Baltimore Ravens’ defense. The reigning NFL rushing champion was stonewalled, held to 49 rushing yards and no touchdowns on 15 carries.

“We knew what we had to do,” said middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who recorded a game-high 12 tackles. “We took it personal coming out this week. We knew the challenge was going to be huge. That’s one of the best backs in football right now, the leading rusher in the NFL last year. “Dealing with that offensive line, we knew running that zone scheme, it was going to be a very hard scheme to deal with. They made a couple plays here and there, but I just think the adjustments we made at halftime all really went in our favor.”

Foster averaged only 3.3 yards per carry, catching six passes for 52 yards while being targeted 11 times. He was frustrated by the Ravens’ defense, met at almost every turn by a tackler to prevent him from breaking free. His longest run was 16 yards.

“I played terrible,” Foster said. “I didn’t play a good game. It was obvious. That will never happen again. I played a bad game. It doesn’t matter what the variables are. As a football player, I didn’t bring my ‘A’ game.”

Heading into this game, the Ravens ranked second in the NFL against the run by allowing only 72.5 yards per contest. They limited Foster and backup running back Ben Tate (nine carries, 41 yards) to 93 rushing yards. “We said we needed to stop the run,” said All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who had eight tackles. “I think we did well throughout the game. We were careful not to let them get the big runs and be able to stop them, and I think that’s what helped us a lot…”

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was under some duress, getting sacked twice and hit seven times. However, the offensive line eventually settled down against a fast Texans front seven. “We worked on it,” left guard Andre Gurode said. “They’ve got a good defensive front and we had to make some adjustments to keep the pressure off of Joe.”

Flacco wasn’t sacked in the second half. “They did bring some things we didn’t see,” tackle Bryant McKinnie said. “We had to make some adjustments, but we came back. They’re pretty quick.” Head coach John Harbaugh downplayed the breakdowns, attributing them to mistakes more than the offensive line being overwhelmed.

“We didn’t really make any changes,” Harbaugh said. “We just cleaned up a couple of things. The one pressure we had backed up down there was because we misidentified the front. It was a simple mistake, but we made it. Joe expected it to be picked up when he wasn’t. That’s what happened there.”

Flacco had no complaints. “Yeah, they did a good job,” Flacco said. “The offensive line fought and fought all day”

Texans defensive end Antonio Smith got into a brief fight with Gurode. Smith went after Gurode on the ground, throwing punches before the players were separated. Smith was flagged for consecutive personal fouls. “He pushed me,” Gurode said. “I was blocking on the play and he threw a couple of punches at me. I was about to retaliate, but the referee broke us up. I was going to get him, but it’s good.” Smith acknowledged that he needs to control his temper.

“I just have to find the player that I am and harness it and control it,” Smith said. “I feel like he tried to finish me off with a foul. The play was over, the running back was down. He tried to finish it off a little bit, and I just flipped him off. Then, it got out of hand after that. The second play, he knocked me off the ball. He started walking up to me, bouncing his head. By the time he got close to me bouncing it, I kind of head-butted him like, ‘Get away from me, back up off me.’ It wasn’t a punch or anything. I have to keep my composure at all times. It’s hard to do that because the same thing that makes me go is the same thing that, in a right, is a wrong. The only thing that I can do is just work and be a better man.”

Joe Flacco threw for 305 yards and ran for a score, and Billy Cundiff kicked five field goals…Flacco had two turnovers, but he also had two completions over 50 yards to put Cundiff in position to score. Cundiff connected from 43, 48, 25, 33 and 40 yards to tie a Ravens record for field goals in a game.

Even though the Texans (3-3) were without wide receiver Andre Johnson and linebacker Mario Williams, they led briefly in the third quarter. But Baltimore was too tough down the stretch, allowing only 58 yards and three first downs in the final 15 minutes while outscoring Houston 13-0.  “I think it was really encouraging to see how (we) responded to a tight game in the fourth quarter,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “To come out and win the fourth quarter in that fashion is a huge statement.”

Still, Houston trailed only 19-14 until the Ravens went on a 66-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams with 4:01 left.

Flacco completed 20 of 33 passes and Anquan Boldin had eight catches for 132 yards, including a 56-yarder. Ray Rice ran 23 times for 101 yards to help Baltimore win at home for the 13th time in 14 games. The Ravens are 3-0 at M&T Bank Stadium this season, beating Pittsburgh, the Jets, and Houston by a combined 98-38.

Matt Schaub went 21 for 37 for 220 yards for the Texans, 0-5 against Baltimore since entering the NFL in 2002. The 14 points were the fewest by the Texans since a 10-point performance against the New York Giants on Oct. 10, 2010.  Schaub wouldn’t use the absence of Andre Johnson, Mario Williams or fullback James Casey as an excuse. “It’s part of the game. You deal with it, move on,” he said. “The next guy’s got to be ready to make a play.”

Baltimore had 32 yards rushing in the first half and finished with 113. Houston, meanwhile, converted half its 10 third-down tries in the first half but was 1 for 6 after halftime.

 “Early on we were getting them to third-and-long and they were converting. It was a little bit frustrating,” Ravens linebacker Jarrett Johnson said. “We just kept grinding.”

Rice began the third quarter with an 18-yard run after gaining only 16 yards on eight carries before halftime. That sparked a 47-yard drive to a 48-yard field goal and a 13-7 lead.  Houston moved in front for the only time with a six-play, 80-yard drive. Schaub had completions of 20 yards to Kevin Walter and 16 yards to Foster before throwing a perfect 32-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones, who got behind safety Ed Reed in the end zone.

Baltimore went back ahead on the following series, using a 51-yard pass from Flacco to rookie Torrey Smith to set up a 25-yard field goal and a 16-14 advantage…After a Houston punt, Flacco found Boldin open down the left sideline for a 56-yard gain, and Cundiff kicked his fourth field goal.

The Texans’ next series ended when safety Bernard Pollard, a former Houston starter, broke up a third-down pass to Foster at the Baltimore 30. Houston never threatened after that.

“We were right there in the game where we wanted to be at 19-14, on the road against this team,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We didn’t make the plays and they did.” Flacco lost a fumble and threw an interception in the first half, but he also scored a touchdown to help the Ravens take a 10-7 lead. The Ravens moved 97 yards in 16 plays on their first possession and went up 7-0 on a 1-yard run by Flacco, who went 7 for 8 for 82 yards on the drive. It was the first touchdown against Houston in the opening quarter this season.

Midway through the second quarter, Kubiak kept his offense on the field on a fourth-and-1 at the Baltimore 20. Foster was stopped for no gain, but Houston got the ball back when Tim Jamison sacked Flacco, forced a fumble and recovered it at the 17. Three plays later, Texans guard Wade Smith recovered a fumble by Ben Tate in the end zone.

Passing Leaders

Rushing Leaders

Receiving Leaders

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER				HOU	BAL
	TD	01:08	Joe Flacco 1 Yd Run (Billy Cundiff Kick)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER				HOU	BAL
	TD	04:48	Wade Smith Recovered Fumble In End Zone (Neil Rackers Kick)	7	7
	FG	01:50	Billy Cundiff 43 Yd	7	10
THIRD QUARTER				HOU	BAL
	FG	11:46	Billy Cundiff 48 Yd	7	13
	TD	08:36	Jacoby Jones 32 Yd Pass From Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers Kick)	14	13
	FG	03:30	Billy Cundiff 25 Yd	14	16
FOURTH QUARTER				HOU	BAL
	FG	14:44	Billy Cundiff 33 Yd	14	19
	TD	04:01	Ricky Williams 4 Yd Run (Billy Cundiff Kick)	14	26
	FG	01:55	Billy Cundiff 40 Yd	14

Final number missing there… 29 for Baltimore.