After taking a shot to his left knee midway through the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ 18-16 win over Detroit, Joe Flacco indicated that his health will not be a major concern moving forward.
The sixth-year quarterback was hit just below the knee by Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy and was examined by team medical personnel on the sideline as backup Tyrod Taylor warmed up, but he did not miss any snaps before orchestrating a 25-yard drive that resulted in the game-winning 61-yard field goal by Justin Tucker with 38 seconds remaining.
National outlets report that Flacco will take it easy for a couple days and be fitted for a knee brace, but he is not expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
“It wasn’t really bothering me after the initial hit,” Flacco told reporters in Detroit. “I was probably more scared than anything from just what I felt and also just trying to get a couple of yards out of it. Yeah, it feels fine. It feels strong.”
Flacco expressed displeasure after the game that a penalty wasn’t called for a low hit to the quarterback, but he benefited from a Detroit scoring drive of almost six minutes to regain his bearings before the final offensive drive.
The 2008 first-round pick has never missed a game in his professional career, and it appears there are no major concerns that his status would be in jeopardy for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium. There were no immediate plans for the quarterback to undergo magnetic resonance testing on the left knee.
“That was tough,” head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. “He got a helmet right below the knee, so that will be something that I’m sure [the NFL will] take a look at. He fought through that. Joe Flacco is a tough guy, and he’s a great player in crunch time.”
Flacco went 20-for-38 for 222 yards and completed a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Jacoby Jones on third-and-15 to put the Ravens within Tucker’s range on the final drive.
