OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ahead of a critical trip to Cincinnati to try to keep their playoff hopes from circling the drain, the Ravens again practiced without star quarterback Lamar Jackson on a Wednesday.
But unlike each of the last four weeks when Jackson sat out a practice due to various leg ailments, the two-time MVP was listed as receiving a non-injury rest day. Of course, you’re unlikely to find many players on the 53-man roster who are 100% healthy entering Week 15 of an NFL season, and Jackson is no different despite looking better physically over the last couple games.
While head coach John Harbaugh would obviously prefer having his franchise quarterback on the field to try to get an offense ranking 19th in total yards and 30th in red-zone percentage into a better rhythm, there’s still a cost-benefit analysis that’s difficult to quantify.
“There’s no science to it. You want to have everybody practicing every day. That’s your goal as a coach, but it’s a long season,” Harbaugh said. “These guys go through a lot — Lamar as much as anybody. He has the ball in his hand every play. He’s making plays. He’s doing what he does, [and] he’s competing like crazy. There are going to be times when he is just not going to be up for practice. It’s just not going to be the best way to go about doing it, and that’s a conversation between Lamar [and] the trainers.
“We’re involved in that to some degree, but what’s best for him to be ready to play his best on Sunday, that’s really what matters.”
The only other player on the active roster sitting out Wednesday was cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who is dealing with a shoulder issue. In positive news, running back Keaton Mitchell was able to practice on a limited basis just a few days after exiting the loss to Pittsburgh with what proved to be more of a scare with his knee than an injury.
Harbaugh confirmed outside linebacker Tavius Robinson and safety Ar’Darius Washington both have a chance to be activated for the Bengals game after they were designated to return to practice last week. While Washington was listed as a full participant and could complete his return from a torn Achilles tendon suffered back in May, Robinson was listed as a limited participant Wednesday and deemed himself “ready to go for sure” from the fractured foot that sidelined him in Week 6.
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“It was hard to even just stomach watching my guys go out there,” said Robinson, who hadn’t missed a game in his three-year career before hurting his foot in the Oct. 12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. “Once I was able to get on the sideline and have an earpiece in and all that, it was easier to be a part of it. But yes, it was hard at the start for sure.”
Cincinnati listed standout wide receiver Tee Higgins as a limited participant after he reported concussion symptoms in the aftermath of Sunday’s loss in Buffalo. Higgins missed the Thanksgiving game between the Ravens and Bengals because of a concussion suffered in Week 12, so the reoccurrence of symptoms wouldn’t appear to bode well for his availability for this Sunday’s game.
The Bengals haven’t yet placed four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) on season-ending injured reserve, but he hasn’t played since late October and reports earlier this week indicated that he’ll undergo core muscle surgery in the coming days. Hendrick is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Two days after the NFL announced that Baltimore’s Week 16 meeting with New England had been flexed to Sunday Night Football, the league revealed the Week 17 tilt in Green Bay will be an 8 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Dec. 27. That means that the Ravens will be playing on a short week for the first of two road games to conclude the regular season.
Below is Wednesday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: CB Chidobe Awuzie (shoulder), QB Lamar Jackson (non-injury/rest)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: RB Keaton Mitchell (knee), OLB Tavius Robinson (foot), CB Nate Wiggins (foot)
FULL PARTICIPAPTION: S Ar’Darius Washington (Achilles)
CINCINNATI
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DE Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis), S PJ Jules (ankle)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: WR Tee Higgins (concussion)
FULL PARTICIPATION: LB Shaka Heyward (fibula), DE Joseph Ossai (shin), DE Shemar Stewart (knee)
