ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – Bills guard Ruben Brown has a pretty good guess as to what will be a big part of the Houston Texans’ defensive plan this weekend.

The blitz.

“Count on it,” Brown said Wednesday as Buffalo (4-5) prepares to host Houston (3-6) on Sunday.

Brown makes his prediction not only because Texans coach Dom Capers is noted for the zone blitz. It’s also evident that Buffalo’s recent opponents have enjoyed a great share of success in rattling quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

Dallas sent as many as nine players in last weekend’s 10-6 win, completely stifling the Bills offense and forcing two Bledsoe fumbles. Kansas City was almost as tenacious in its 38-5 win on Oct. 26.

“Everybody else has been successful slowing our offense down doing it,” Brown said. “It would be crazy for them not to.”

So how do the Bills counteract it? Make a big play to make opponents back off.

And that’s what’s been missing.

Bledsoe and the offense have been sputtering during a seven-game stretch in which they’ve won only twice.

During that span, Bledsoe has been sacked 24 times – once for every 10 dropbacks – for 185 yards. And in four of those games, all losses, he’s failed to complete a pass longer than 21 yards.

Bledsoe sounded frustrated when discussing the offense’s continued inability to make teams pay for the blitz.

“It falls on my shoulders and the shoulders of us as an offense to execute those plays under adverse conditions,” Bledsoe said. “We actually had some stuff last week.”

Unfortunately, except for an 18-yard screen pass to Sammy Morris, the plays weren’t properly executed against Dallas.

Missed blocks, poorly thrown passes, and poorly run routes have all contributed to the Bills troubles. And it has led opponents to continue taking calculated risks by sending more players than Buffalo can block.

“The league works in trends and it looks like, especially against us, that it’s trending toward trying to come after you with the max blitz more often,” Bledsoe said. “If you hit one play against them, it chases them right out of that blitz. But until you hit that one play, they’re going to keep coming.”

Buffalo was relatively effective in counteracting the blitz last season. It helped that they had a speedy deep threat in No. 2 receiver Peerless Price, who had the ability to beat one-on-one coverage.

Price, however, is gone, traded to Atlanta last March after the Bills deemed his contract demands too expensive.

Josh Reed and Bobby Shaw, Buffalo’s second and third receivers this season, don’t have Price’s breakout speed, while Eric Moulds has been slowed by a groin injury that’s nagged him for more than a month.

The Bills have at least one thing working in their favor this weekend.

After playing its last two games on the road, Buffalo returns home where crowd noise won’t be as much of a factor affecting the offense.

That will allow Bledsoe a better ability to communicate play changes in the event he sees the pressure coming.

Coach Gregg Williams said the Bills must emphasize to Bledsoe that he be quick in releasing the ball while also trying to make big plays against the blitz, particularly against one-on-one coverage.

“There’s been times where we’ve begged for that type of coverage,” Williams said. “That’s what you want to do because we’ve got some guys that can make those kinds of plays. The potential for big plays are there, we just have to make them.”

Notes: Moulds was held out of practice on Wednesday to rest his groin injury. … OT Jonas Jennings, who missed last weekend’s game because of a hip flexor, returned to practice but is listed as questionable. … Travis Henry had what was then a career-high 159 yards rushing in Buffalo’s 31-24 win over the Texans last season.