A day after leaving Sunday’s win at Philadelphia with a left ankle injury, Ravens running back Mark Ingram learned he shouldn’t miss very much time.
With Baltimore now entering the bye week before resuming play against Pittsburgh on Nov. 1, the 30-year-old veteran will have nearly two weeks to be ready for the AFC North-leading rival.
“It’s a minor ankle sprain — not a minor — but it’s an ankle sprain that’s probably a week,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “He could be back by the Steelers game. He probably will be back for the Steelers game, but we’ll have to see.”
With Ingram sidelined for the entire second half, Gus Edwards and rookie J.K. Dobbins combined for 54 yards on 23 carries as the Ravens struggled to run consistently between the tackles, instead relying on quarterback Lamar Jackson to run for a season-high 108 yards.
The injury news wasn’t as favorable for Anthony Averett, who became the third Ravens cornerback to suffer a long-term injury this year. Unlike Tavon Young (knee) and Iman Marshall (knee), however, Averett is expected to return this season from the shoulder injury he sustained in the first half of the 30-28 win over the Eagles.
“He’s going to be out for a while. He’s going to be out for five or six weeks,” Harbaugh said. “He has a slight fracture in one of the bones in the clavicle or shoulder, somewhere in there.”
In the third-year cornerback’s absence, veteran Jimmy Smith played outside cornerback in both the nickel and dime packages while reserve safety Marcus Gilchrist saw 22 defensive snaps in sub packages. Averett’s absence may also lead to opportunities for rookie cornerback Khalil Dorsey, who was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster earlier this month.
Harbaugh confirmed nose tackle Brandon Williams was placed on the reserve-COVID-19 list due to having close contact with an infected individual and will be “fine.” Assuming the veteran defensive lineman experiences no symptoms and doesn’t test positive for the virus in the coming days, Williams should be able to return to play against the Steelers in Week 8.
The Ravens coach also said Derek Wolfe (neck/concussion) told him he’s “feels great” after missing his second game in three weeks. The hand injury that forced rookie right guard Tyre Phillips out of Sunday’s game isn’t believed to be serious, according to Harbaugh.
