OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens have listed wide receiver Marquise Brown and inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor as questionable for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati.
Both missed the entire week of practice after sustaining right ankle injuries in the Week 5 win at Pittsburgh. Brown and Onwuasor were able to finish the game — the former did miss much of the second quarter and the entire third quarter — but they’re now in danger of sitting out against the Bengals.
Under 12th-year head coach John Harbaugh, it’s been rare for players to suit up and play after missing an entire week of practice.
“They’ll both be game-time decisions, so we’ll see how they do come Sunday morning,” Harbaugh said. “If they can go, they go. I thought they’d practice today, so we’ll see how they are Sunday.”
If Brown doesn’t play, the Ravens would likely lean more heavily on veteran Seth Roberts and rookie third-round pick Miles Boykin. Brown leads all Baltimore wide receivers with 21 receptions for 326 yards and three touchdowns while Willie Snead ranks second with just 12 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
Onwuasor’s injury complicates an inside linebacker position that had finally found some stability last week with the arrival of veteran Josh Bynes, who surprisingly started and played well at the “Mike” linebacker spot. Onwuasor moved back to the weak-side position where he had started and played well the previous two seasons next to former Raven C.J. Mosley.
Should Onwuasor not be able to play Sunday, the Ravens would turn to some combination of Kenny Young, Chris Board, and veteran L.J. Fort to play next to Bynes. Young was a healthy scratch last week despite starting three of the first four games of the season while Board was limited to one defensive snap after the reshuffling at inside linebacker.
“I’m sure that they want to have a bigger role, absolutely, and they’re competitive guys,” said Harbaugh about Young and Board. “But the attitude has stayed positive. They want to help us win. They want to practice well. They both practiced well again, so that will just shake itself out as we go.”
The Ravens also listed tight end Mark Andrews (left shoulder) as questionable, but he practiced fully Friday, leaving little question about his availability. Cornerback Jimmy Smith (right knee) was officially ruled out and will miss his fifth straight game after being injured in the season opener.
The 0-5 Bengals are in much worse shape from a health standpoint after ruling out six players, a list including seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green (ankle), two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Carlos Dunlap (knee), and offensive tackles Cordy Glenn (concussion) and Andre Smith (ankle). Smith had already been filling in for Glenn at left tackle to begin the season, leaving a struggling offensive line in even worse shape for Week 6.
The Weather.com Sunday forecast in Baltimore calls for mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s with winds light and variable and only a slight chance of a rain shower.
Below is the final injury report of the week:
BALTIMORE
OUT: CB Jimmy Smith (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: TE Mark Andrews (shoulder), WR Marquise Brown (ankle), LB Patrick Onwuasor (ankle)
CINCINNATI
OUT: DE Carlos Dunlap (knee), DT Ryan Glasgow (thigh), OT Cordy Glenn (concussion), WR A.J. Green (ankle), OT Andre Smith (ankle), DE Kerry Wynn (concussion)
QUESTIONABLE: S Shawn Williams (thigh)
