OWINGS MILLS, Md. — John Harbaugh says it will be business as usual for the Ravens as they conclude their season at Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon.
Despite being eliminated from postseason contention with their 31-27 defeat at Pittsburgh on Sunday, the ninth-year head coach expressed no intention of resting veterans in favor of younger players against the Bengals. A win would give the Ravens only their second winning season since Super Bowl XLVII.
“We’re going [there] to win the game,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll play our guys, and everybody that is healthy will go play. That’s the plan. I wouldn’t look at it any other way.”
With the Ravens having nothing to play before beyond the possibility of finishing with a winning record, a sound argument could be made for resting established veterans, especially those who’ve played with long-term injuries such as guard Marshal Yanda and linebacker Terrell Suggs. There’s always the risk of a key player suffering a serious injury that could hinder his status for the start of next season, but the limitations of a 53-man roster make it difficult to treat Sunday’s game like a preseason affair.
Still, young players such as wide receivers Breshad Perriman, Michael Campanaro, and Chris Moore, offensive linemen Alex Lewis and John Urschel, defensive end Brent Urban, and outside linebacker Matt Judon would benefit from more live-game reps after serving in limited roles this season. And observers who are focused on the big picture would also point to such a strategy increasing the likelihood of a loss to improve the Ravens’ standing for the 2017 draft.
Harbaugh shared no such sentiment on Monday.
“You try to win. We talked about it in the locker room after the game,” Harbaugh said. “That’s what I pointed towards is the next game. We want to go win it. We do want to be 9-7. That is important. It’s important to have one more win than we potentially could have. I don’t care what the record is.”
Harbaugh did say that No. 1 cornerback Jimmy Smith is likely to miss his third straight game with a high ankle sprain suffered against New England on Dec. 12. The Ravens were hoping at the time of the injury that he might be able to return for the playoffs.
The Bengals officially placed tight end Tyler Eifert (back) and guard Clint Boling (shoulder) on season-ending injured reserve on Monday and do not intend to play wide receiver A.J. Green (hamstring) on Sunday despite his return to practice two weeks ago.
