Coffee Companion (10/16): your daily Ravens fix

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he’ll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too.

RUNNING IT BACK

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is out for the season with a torn triceps, but Mike Preston doesn’t think that the future Hall of Famer is going to end his career like this. … The Ravens also learned Monday that cornerback Lardarius Webb is officially out for the season, too, with a torn ACL. … Players like Dannell Ellerbe and Jimmy Smith must step up in their absence. … The news was a bit better regarding defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who has a minor knee injury. … The Ravens plan to take a cautious approach with linebacker Terrell Suggs.

RAVENS STUFF, BUT NOT FROM US

The Ravens losing Webb is like the New York Jets losing Darrelle Revis. … These injuries are a hit to an already shaky defense. … How will the Ravens overcome these injuries? … Jamison Hensley doesn’t expect Lewis to walk away now. … The Ravens offense will need to step up more with Lewis out for the season. … How does Lewis stack up with other NFL linebacker legends? … Anquan Boldin is stepping up when his team needs him.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

There is no time for the Houston Texans to dwell on their loss to the Green Bay Packers with the Ravens coming to town Sunday. … Breaking down what Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did to the Texans defense. … The humbling defeat will challenge Houston’s leadership. … One dud doesn’t cancel everything that the Texans have already put on their resume. … Texans defensive end Tim Jamison is out for the season with an Achilles injury.

SHAMELESS PLUG OF THE DAY

I reached out to the guys at Pro Football Focus for some interesting statistics regarding the potential replacements for Ray Lewis to frame a few relevant questions facing the team with him out.

OUTSIDE OF BALTIMORE

The Denver Broncos overcame a 24-point deficit at halftime to beat the San Diego Chargers on Monday night. … Embattled New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma could play this weekend. … Jets coach Rex Ryan thinks his team will beat the New England Patriots on Sunday. … Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson is day-to-day with a rib injury.