BALTIMORE — The inevitable became official once again for the Ravens as Pro Bowl quarterback Lamar Jackson was deactivated for Sunday’s must-win meeting with the Los Angeles Rams.
After limping noticeably in his anticipated return to the practice field on Wednesday, Jackson sat out the rest of the practice week, making it all but certain that he’d miss a third straight game as No. 2 quarterback Tyler Huntley prepared to make his third start of the season. Veteran Josh Johnson was activated to serve as Huntley’s backup against the Rams.
The Ravens were also without a key member of their pass rush with rookie outside linebacker Odafe Oweh officially deactivated due to a foot injury that sidelined him for the entire practice week. It’s unclear when the first-round pick out of Penn State hurt his foot, but he played a season-high 55 snaps in last Sunday’s loss at Cincinnati and was listed as doubtful on the final injury report. Veteran Pernell McPhee was also deactivated and hasn’t played in a game since undergoing a knee cleanup procedure in late November.
Those absences on the edge didn’t figure to make life easier for a decimated secondary most recently losing starting cornerback Anthony Averett, who suffered a rib injury in the loss to the Bengals and was declared out on Friday. However, Baltimore did welcome back cornerbacks Chris Westry and Jimmy Smith from the reserve-COVID-19 list earlier this week with the two expected to join Tavon Young as the top three corners against the Rams.
Despite being listed as questionable on the final injury report, wide receiver Marquise Brown (illness), Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard (knee), and Pro Bowl return special and wide receiver Devin Duvernay (ankle) were all active. Brown had missed the last two practices of the week with a non-COVID illness while Ricard and Duvernay had missed recent game action with their injuries.
In a somewhat surprising move, the Ravens made James Proche a healthy scratch after the second-year wide receiver set career highs with seven catches for 76 yards in last week’s loss. Duvernay’s return made Proche more expendable from a special-teams standpoint. Wide receiver Miles Boykin was also a healthy scratch for Week 17.
On Saturday, the Ravens placed rookie outside linebacker Daelin Hayes (knee) on injured reserve and promoted offensive tackle David Sharpe from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. They also elevated safety Tony Jefferson, cornerback Robert Jackson, and offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
Below were the inactive lists for Week 17:
BALTIMORE
QB Lamar Jackson
CB Anthony Averett
OLB Odafe Oweh
WR James Proche
OLB Pernell McPhee
G Ben Powers
WR Miles Boykin
LOS ANGELES
RB Cam Akers
QB Bryce Perkins
S JuJu Hughes
OLB Chris Garrett
OLB Terrell Lewis
OL Alaric Jackson
OL Tremayne Anchrum
