When the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens met in the regular season, the Ravens defense got to Texans quarterback Matt Schaub four times. Schaub, and his top backup Matt Leinart, are both on injured reserve, propelling 2011 fifth-round pick T.J. Yates into a starting role.
Yates was efficient in last week's home playoff win over the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 11-of-20 pass attempts for 159 yards and a touchdown. Yates, who was sacked twice by the Bengals, will be facing a Ravens front seven that will be looking to put pressure on the rookie, Kevin Cowherd of The Baltimore Sun reports.
"Nobody knows (if) you're going to keep your composure, especially when you got dogs running after you without leashes," Ravens safety Bernard Pollard said on Wednesday. "And that's the biggest thing about this defense. Our front seven's gonna go.
"I'm not sitting here saying that quarterback isn't ready. But at the end of the day, when you got somebody on your tail, you ain't thinking straight."
For more on the Ravens, check out SB Nation's Baltimore Beatdown and for more on the Texans check out Battle Red Blog. Here's a look at the complete2012 NFL playoffs schedule.