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Coming off one of the most frustrating offensive performances we've seen out of the Ravens in the last couple seasons, all eyes will be on Cam Cameron and the offense tonight.
Those eyes will be staring through binoculars, through microscopes, through magnifying glasses, looking for signs of life from an offensive unit which has failed to live up to expectations this season and reached a low last week in a loss to the Steelers.
Players and coaches at Ravens headquarters have talked a good game this week, saying that they've put the Pittsburgh loss and the subsequent emotional postgame comments behind them, and that they're ready to prove that this offense can get back on track.
The question everyone is asking is how they'll go about doing that. How will Cameron and the coaching staff gameplan for tonight's contest in Houston as they try to get the offense to start clicking?
I've got a pretty cut and dry solution that I'd like to toss out there: Feed the ball to Ray Rice, and feed it to him often.
Rice made the Pro Bowl last season, gaining over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and averaging 6.14 yards per touch. He dominated games on the ground, and showed he could make a big-time play catching the ball out of the backfield as well.
The Ravens knew Rice could be a game-changer, so they found a variety of ways to get him the ball, dumping it off to him in space, and using him on screens and routes into the flat.
For some reason, however, Rice has been an afterthought at times this season.
In the Ravens' last two losses (to Pittsburgh and Atlanta), Rice has inexplicably touched the ball a total of just 26 times.
Against the Steelers, Rice had just 11 touches (nine carries, two receptions). In the loss to the Falcons, he touched the ball 15 times (12 carries, three receptions).
Since I'm on a roll with the numbers, I thought I'd take things a step further. In those two losses, Rice had the ball in his hands on just 22.8 percent of the Ravens' offensive plays. That number needs to be much higher.
On the flip side, in the Ravens' last five wins, Rice has averaged 25.6 touches per game, and in all but one of those contests, he's picked up over 120 total yards of offense.
I know that the Ravens have a myriad of passing weapons, and Cameron and quarterback Joe Flacco have the difficult task of trying to spread the ball around and keep everyone happy.
It can't be easy trying to balance the touches for your Pro Bowl running back with your three Pro Bowl wide receivers, Pro Bowl tight end, and two other backs, each of whom have also made a Pro Bowl appearance.
But if I'm calling the plays tonight, I try and make sure that Rice is a major part of the offensive attack.
Yes, the Texans have an atrocious pass defense, and the Ravens might be tempted to have Flacco air it out 50 times and look downfield for big chunks on every down. But they need to get Rice going on the ground, and it wouldn't hurt to scheme up some more passing plays for the third-year back as well.
Rice carried the Ravens' offense most of last season. Why not give him the rock and let him try and do the same over the last four weeks of this one?
