OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Pro Bowl inside linebacker C.J. Mosley was one of three starters missing from practice Wednesday as the Ravens shift their attention toward the Houston Texans.
Mosley suffered a sprained right ankle seconds before the two-minute warning in Green Bay, but head coach John Harbaugh said the injury didn’t “look serious at all” immediately after the 23-0 win, even making light of his initial reaction as a star defensive player limped off the field late in a blowout victory.
“We’re on the sideline and he comes limping off and I’m not happy about it,” Harbaugh said. “I wasn’t really pointing the finger at myself. I’m not responsible for every substitution. I did say, ‘If he’s hurt, we’re the dumbest coaching staff in America.’ I think I might have mentioned that.
“The coaches didn’t say much, but I know that they were praying.”
Cornerback Jimmy Smith (Achilles tendon) and right tackle Austin Howard (undisclosed) were also missing during the portion of Wednesday’s workout open to reporters. Smith’s absence was not surprising as he’s missed practice time on a weekly basis since early October, but Howard recently began wearing a harness on his surgically-repaired left shoulder and looked hobbled in an underwhelming performance against the Packers on Sunday.
With Baltimore not playing until Monday, the first injury report of the week will not be released until Thursday.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (concussion) was present and working, but he was a limited participant in practices all last week before ultimately being declared out against Green Bay. Harbaugh said Wednesday that the 2016 first-round pick remains in the concussion protocol. Starting left guard James Hurst moved out to Stanley’s spot in Week 11 and struggled to keep quarterback Joe Flacco clean against the Packers front.
“The first thing is obviously you have to switch guys around and you have to take guys out of their position and ask them to do a little bit more just because they’re in a different spot on the field,” Flacco said. “Then, you couple that with the fact that your first-round draft pick-type talent isn’t out there. It definitely all adds up.”
The Ravens will wear their black jerseys and black pants for their first Monday night home game since the 2012 season opener. They own a 16-7 all-time mark when wearing their popular alternate jersey, but Pittsburgh prevailed 26-9 in Week 4 when Baltimore wore its all-black uniforms for the first time this season.
Outside linebacker Matt Judon was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after collecting two sacks and a forced fumble against the Packers.
