The Texans won't change up their defensive line much even though the offensive line for the Ravens is considerably bigger than the Steelers' was. Coach Gary Kubiak said he was pretty pleased with what he saw, especially from his four starters on the defensive line and he plans to keep the group intact.

PLAYER NOTES

--RB Ahman Green (ankle) missed another practice. He is not expected to play this week.

--RB Darius Walker was added to the 53-man roster. He will be the No. 3 running back in this week's game.

--RB Steve Slaton is still slated to start against the Ravens. It will be his first career start. He had just 13 carries in the season opener last week.

--DT Travis Johnson (knee) did not participate in practice Wednesday and may not play this weekend. If he cannot start, Jeff Zgonina will likely start in his place.

--LG Chester Pitts (ankle) was limited in practice. He will not miss a start though. He is determined to keep his streak of 97 consecutive starts alive.

--RT Eric Winston (ankle) was limited in practice Wednesday. He will likely start. The Texans will try to make it easy on him in practice this week so he doesn't have to miss any playing time.

--WR Jacoby Jones (back) was limited in practice Wednesday. He will likely still be able to return punts, but if not, David Anderson will replace him.

--TE Mark Bruener (hamstring) suffered the injury in practice Wednesday. He will likely miss a couple of days and might have to be inactive Sunday.

--DE Stanley McClover (knee) was placed on injured reserve by the Texans.

--CB Antwaun Molden (hamstring) was limited Wednesday in practice. He may still be available Sunday.

GAME PLAN: The Texans' priority on offense will clearly be to try to establish a running game. Last week, the Texans had only 25 rushing yards until the Steelers were so far ahead they inserted their backups on offense and defense. With Ahman Green nursing a sprained ankle, the Texans will have to lean on less-experienced backs in Steve Slaton and Chris Taylor to shoulder the load. The offensive line will have to give the backs a little more space, but it's up to the backs to get to those holes quickly and get down field.

Defensively, the Texans will try to get into the head of Joe Flacco. The rookie quarterback wasn't rattled in his NFL debut, but the Texans hope to change that this week with Flacco playing on the road for the first time. The Texans will try to be more effective blitzing, with Mario Williams leading the charge. The linebackers will become more involved, and the Texans will try to mix up their blitzes enough to confuse the linemen and Flacco.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Texans QB Matt Schaub vs. Ravens pass rush. Schaub will get a boost simply from being back in his home stadium. But it still won't be easy for the second-year starter to get into a rhythm. The Ravens defense is just as confusing and more blitz-crazy than the Steelers, and the Texans struggled immensely a week ago. Schaub may not have much of a running game to lean on, so expect quite a few short passes and more balls thrown out of bounds instead of into the hands of defenders. If Schaub can get a successful short passing game going, it should help him create a couple of opportunities to throw downfield. He will likely find the end zone with a receiver once, and he may be quicker to run with the ball himself this week -- something he didn't do readily last week.

Texans RB Steve Slaton vs. Ravens run defense. The rookie running back is likely heading toward his first NFL start. The rookie struggled to show his breakaway speed against the Steelers in his debut. He'll have to show more this week with Ahman Green likely sidelined indefinitely with a sprained ankle. Slaton is a solid blocker in pass protection and he has exceptional speed. This week, he just needs to make quicker decisions and make it through the gap before it closes.

INJURY IMPACT: RB Ahman Green (ankle) is wearing a boot and is not expected to play this week. It's unknown when he'll actually return to the field. He still has swelling in the sprained ankle.

--DT Travis Johnson (knee) did not participate in practice Wednesday and may not play this weekend. If he cannot start, Jeff Zgonina will likely start in his place.

--LG Chester Pitts (ankle) was limited in practice. He will not miss a start though. He is determined to keep his streak of 97 consecutive starts alive.

--RT Eric Winston (ankle) was limited in practice Wednesday. He will likely start. The Texans will try to make it easy on him in practice this week so he doesn't have to miss any playing time.

--WR Jacoby Jones (back) was limited in practice Wednesday. He will likely still be able to return punts, but if not, David Anderson will replace him.

--TE Mark Bruener (hamstring) suffered the injury in practice Wednesday. He will likely miss a couple of days and might have to be inactive Sunday.

--DE Stanley McClover (knee) had surgery to repair a torn meniscus Wednesday. He may not play again this season.

--CB Antwaun Molden (hamstring) was limited Wednesday in practice. He may still be available Sunday.