PLAYER NOTES

--FB/TE Daniel Coats will start at fullback against the Ravens. He was moved in the offseason.

--DE Antwan Odom, on whom the Bengals are depending to lead the improvement of their anemic pass rush, said he has no pain or soreness in the foot he sprained July 28 on the first day of practice. He is the starting right end.

--LB Keith Rivers will start at an outside linebacker spot and has caught up quickly from a 10-day contract holdout.

--WR Andre Caldwell, who had sustained a foot injury in the preseason game Aug. 16 against the Lions, has returned to practice, though limited, which adds to the team's depth. If he doesn't play in the opener, he should be available Sept. 14 for Tennessee.

--LB Rashad Jeanty is the only one of the six linebackers who was on the roster for opening day last season. Dhani Jones and Corey Mays joined at midseason. Darryl Blackstock and Brandon Johnson were signed in the offseason as free agents. And Keith Rivers was the team's first-round draft choice.

GAME PLAN: Baltimore will want to establish the run and control the clock to protect rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. The Bengals must stop the run and improve on their third-down efficiency defensively; they allowed 23 of 57 conversations (40 percent) in the preseason. The Bengals will rely on cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall to play single coverage much of the time, which will allow them to blitz linebackers and safety Dexter Jackson. They should be able to force Flacco into errors. Offensively, the Bengals will want to run the ball but have enjoyed success throwing against Baltimore, which again appears to be hurting in the secondary because of injuries to safety Ed Reed and cornerback Chris McAlister.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Bengals WRs Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh vs. Ravens secondary. One of the reasons the Bengals have won six of the last seven against Baltimore is the production of Johnson and Houshmandzadeh. In two Bengals victories last season, Johnson and Houshmandzadeh had 24 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens, and that wasn't nearly the damage Houshmandzadeh has done every year against Baltimore. On Wednesday, Ravens safety Ed Reed was limited in practice, and though he was not on the official injury report, cornerback Chris McAlister has been struggling to get on the field.

--Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco vs. Bengals defense. Because of a season-ending injury to Kyle Boller and a viral infection to Troy Smith, the Ravens will enter the game with rookie first-round pick Flacco starting on opening day. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is not saying what his defense will do, but with Bengals cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall able to play single coverage outside, expect the Bengals to blitz linebackers and strong safety Dexter Jackson. Turnovers are a key factor with these teams, who lead the NFL in takeaways since 2003. The Bengals had a 12-2 edge in turnover ratio against the Ravens last year.

INJURY IMPACT: Some of the best news of the past couple weeks for the Bengals has been the healthy return to practice of defensive end Antwan Odom, who had sprained his foot on the first day of training camp. Odom was signed as an unrestricted agent after getting eight sacks last season. He is expected to team with Robert Geathers (10.5 sacks in 2006) to bolster what was the NFL's worst pass rush last season. ... Neither Odom nor wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hamstring) were listed on the official injury report. ... Chad Johnson (shoulder) and quarterback Carson Palmer (nose) practiced fully. Palmer said he would wear a protective shield on his facemask.

--DT John Thornton (knee) was added to the injury report as limited in practice. He is expected to start Sunday at Baltimore.

--RB Kenny Watson (hamstring) was added to the injury report as limited in practice. He is expected to play Sunday as the backup running back and on special teams.