On Oct.15, the Houston Texans placed left tackle Tony Boselli on injured reserve. The season is over for the first player selected by the Texans in the expansion draft.

The move also meant that rookie Chester Pitts would keep working at left tackle, where he has started all seven of Houston's games.

He is 6 feet 4, 320 pounds, and the Texans drafted him in the second round from San Diego State. They had to bring him along fast because of Boselli's shoulder injury.

Today, Pitts will be matched against Bengals right defensive end Justin Smith.

Smith, a pass-rush specialist, has been limited to one sack this season after getting 8.5 last year as a rookie.

The Texans' offensive line has struggled, and rookie quarterback David Carr has been sacked 44 times. Many of those have come when Carr has run out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage after pressure forced him from the pocket.

Smith, if he can get past Pitts, has the speed to chase down Carr. If the Bengals can get a lead and force the Texans to pass, Smith could have a big day.

The Bengals have just eight sacks, and one of the reasons is their failure to get a lead on offense.

Mark Curnutte