The status of injured quarterback Lamar Jackson remains the hot topic ahead of Sunday’s must-win clash with the Los Angeles Rams, but the Ravens continue to experience plenty of movement with their reserve-COVID-19 list.
On Tuesday, outside linebacker Tyus Bowser was placed on the list while cornerback Chris Westry was activated, a mixed-bag development for a defense that’s been ravaged by injuries and recent virus-related absences. The announcement came a day after Baltimore activated cornerback Jimmy Smith and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee from the COVID-19 list and placed safety Tony Jefferson on the practice-squad version of the list. The Ravens also placed defensive back Ar’Darius Washington on the COVID-19 list, but the rookie is already out for the season with a broken foot and was placed on injured reserve late last month.
Between the league’s evolving return-to-play protocols and the new CDC guidelines for isolation and quarantine, it’s difficult to predict which players currently on the COVID-19 list will be available for Sunday’s game, but there’s reason for optimism that many could return if not experiencing symptoms.
As for Jackson and his right ankle injured in Cleveland on Dec. 12, head coach John Harbaugh was predictably vague when asked Monday whether he expected the former league MVP to return to practice and play this week.
“I’m looking forward to that,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll see as we get to Wednesday and see where we’re at with that.”
It’s worth noting the Ravens released quarterback Kenji Bahar from their practice squad on Tuesday after re-signing him over the weekend to serve as the backup to emergency starter Josh Johnson against Cincinnati. One might interpret that as a good sign for the potential availability of Jackson and No. 2 quarterback Tyler Huntley, but the Ravens could elect to add another quarterback, something they did in late November when they re-signed Bahar to the practice squad before replacing him with former Arizona Cardinal Chris Streveler just a few days later. Streveler was placed on the practice squad COVID-19 list last Thursday.
Beyond Jackson and virus testing, the status of cornerback Anthony Averett will be a prominent story this week with the starter suffering a fractured rib against the Bengals, according to NFL Network.
“He has some rib issues. It’ll be just a matter of whether he can move around and play with it,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll probably see later in the week, see how he’s feeling and how he’s moving.”
The Ravens return to the practice field Wednesday with the beginning of the afternoon workout scheduled to be open to reporters. However, no workouts were open to media last week with the team moving multiple practices indoors.
Playoff odds hurting
Few teams saw their playoff hopes take a bigger hit in Week 16 than the Ravens with their probability of qualifying for a fourth straight year now ranging from 20 to 30 percent, according to an assortment of outlets.
Though owning head-to-head tiebreakers over Indianapolis and the Los Angeles Chargers, the Ravens are on the wrong side of head-to-head tiebreakers with Miami and Las Vegas. Making matters worse is an underwhelming 5-6 conference record, which is second in the list of tiebreaking procedures in the wild-card race for teams from different divisions. In other words, Baltimore’s chances of sneaking in the playoffs with another loss are very slim.
On the bright side, FiveThirtyEight’s projections put the Ravens’ chances of qualifying at 83% by winning out while the New York Times playoffs simulator puts them at closer to 90% to make the playoffs with back-to-back wins to close the regular season. Given the mediocrity of the AFC as well as the unpredictability of COVID-19 testing, the Ravens should like those odds if they can handle their business against the Los Angeles Rams and then Pittsburgh at home.
No, Baltimore doesn’t completely control its path to securing a spot, but winning out and rooting for at least a couple slip-ups from other AFC playoff contenders should produce a happy outcome for Ravens fans.
Mack sack
Lost in a miserable defensive showing in Sunday’s 41-21 blowout defeat at Cincinnati was the surprising performance of defensive tackle Isaiah Mack — even if most Ravens fans had no clue who he was.
Brought up from the practice squad as a COVID-19 replacement, the 6-foot-1, 299-pound Mack played 25 snaps and collected a sack on the game’s opening drive that was negated by offsetting penalties for too many men on the field. His pass-rushing prowess resurfaced midway through the fourth quarter when he took down Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow for his first official sack since playing for Tennessee in 2019.
With Justin Madubuike on the COVID-19 list and Calais Campbell limited to eight snaps due to a hamstring injury, Mack made the most of his opportunity to earn a spot on Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week and the publication’s second-highest grade among all Ravens players for Week 16. The 2019 undrafted free agent out of Chattanooga entered 2021 having appeared in 21 career games for the Titans and New England before a six-snap appearance for Baltimore in the Week 12 win over Cleveland. After spending the preseason with Denver and an earlier portion of the 2021 regular season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad, Mack joined Baltimore’s practice squad in mid-November and made a good argument for inclusion in the 2022 roster mix with Sunday’s showing, especially in a position group likely to have substantial turnover.
Mack has amassed 13 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, and a fumble recovery in his brief NFL career.
