“Shane, you could tell he was going to be a very smart and intelligent guy, but it might have taken him a little while longer because he really wanted to focus on what he had to do,’’ Faulk said. “Early on, he got caught up in a couple of injuries and it kind of discouraged him.

“As a competitor, you get very discouraged real easily when you’re not involved in the play. You can see it in him.

“And to actually see it happen last week, that’s why I was so excited.’’

Of the three touchdowns he scored, which one was he particularly proud of?

“Well, on the last one, Tom threw a perfect, perfect pass,’’ said Vereen, referring to the 33-yard TD catch he made streaking past the man-to-man coverage of Texans linebacker Barrett Ruud.

“It was a matchup we were hoping to get,’’ Vereen said, “and we were able to execute the play.’’

No doubt Vereen would love nothing more than to execute a similar play against the Ravens. It is, after all, a game in which he’d much prefer an active role.

“Last year, I wasn’t able to play in the game,’’ Vereen said. “This year, I’ll probably have a little bigger role. But you understand the seriousness of the game and you understand that they’re the other best team in the AFC and that it’s going to be a battle and you’ve got to come prepared.