The Ravens will be without their best defensive lineman and are likely to be missing a key member of their secondary for the Sunday night tilt with New England.
As anticipated, five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell will not play against the Patriots after injuring his left calf early in last Sunday’s win at Indianapolis. The 34-year-old hasn’t missed a game since 2014, and his absence will pose a challenge with the Ravens facing the NFL’s fourth-ranked rushing attack. Campbell being sidelined will likely mean bigger game-day roles for rookie Justin Madubuike and veteran Justin Ellis in the defensive line rotation.
Baltimore is also likely to be without veteran cornerback Jimmy Smith, who was officially listed as doubtful to play after missing the entire practice week with an ankle injury. Smith played all 68 defensive snaps in the 24-10 win over the Colts, making it unclear when he hurt his ankle. The 32-year-old has played in each of the Ravens’ first eight games, but he’s appeared on the injury report in all but one of those weeks with a number of nagging ailments.
With head coach John Harbaugh describing Smith’s chances of playing as “low” after Friday’s practice, the signing of veteran Tramon Williams earlier this week becomes even more important. Of course, the Ravens will also be welcoming back Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who missed the Week 9 win after testing positive for COVID-19.
Harbaugh didn’t rule out the slim possibility of Smith playing against the Patriots if his ankle were to improve over the weekend.
“We’ll just have to see how it feels,” Harbaugh said. I would not be afraid to play Jimmy if he felt good enough. We’ll just have to see where that’s at.”
On the positive side, running back Mark Ingram (left ankle) and outside linebacker Matthew Judon (calf) both practiced fully on Friday and were officially listed as questionable on the final injury report. Ingram practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and sat out Thursday’s workout, an unusual sequence for someone who hadn’t practiced since injuring his ankle in the Oct. 18 win at Philadelphia. Judon missed Wednesday’s practice before participating for the remainder of the week.
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Inside linebacker L.J. Fort was also designated as questionable after being a limited participant in practices all week. Fort missed last week’s win over the Colts due to a finger injury.
In typical Bill Belichick fashion, the Patriots listed 17 players as questionable for Sunday night. The headliner of that list is three-time Pro Bowl cornerback and 2019 AP Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, who has missed each of their last two games with a knee injury. Gilmore was a limited participant on Wednesday and Friday and sat out Thursday’s workout.
Below is the final injury report for Week 10:
BALTIMORE
OUT: DE Calais Campbell (calf)
DOUBTFUL: CB Jimmy Smith (ankle)
QUESTIONABLE: ILB L.J. Fort (finger), RB Mark Ingram (ankle), OLB Matthew Judon (calf)
NEW ENGLAND
QUESTIONABLE: LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (groin), S Terrence Brooks (illness), LB Shilique Calhoun (knee), S Cody Davis (calf), DB Kyle Dugger (ankle), K Nick Folk (back), CB Stephon Gilmore (knee), DT Lawrence Guy (shoulder, elbow, knee), RB Damien Harris (ankle, chest), WR N’Keal Harry (concussion), TE Ryan Izzo (hamstring), CB Jonathan Jones (illness), G Shaq Mason (calf), DE John Simon (elbow), G Joe Thuney (ankle), DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (knee, hand), OT Isaiah Wynn (ankle)
