The Ravens will try to finish their season and begin a new calendar year on a winning note.
Despite being eliminated from postseason contention in last Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to Pittsburgh, the Ravens have an opportunity to clinch their second winning season since Super Bowl XLVII. This marks the first time that both Baltimore and Cincinnati have missed the playoffs since 2007.
Rookie wide receiver and former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds headlined the list of Baltimore inactives for the season finale against the Bengals. Reynolds was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Friday, but this was a procedural move to keep the sixth-round pick in the organization and avoid the risk of him signing a reserve-future deal with another team.
Rookie offensive lineman Alex Lewis was activated for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 10. With veteran right tackle Rick Wagner out with a concussion, Lewis figured to return to the game-day roster for the finale.
Crockett Gillmore was inactive for the ninth straight week, ending a lost season for the third-year tight end who enjoyed such a promising 2015 campaign.
The Bengals deactivated starting running back Jeremy Hill (knee) and linebacker Vontaze Burfict (concussion/knee) for Week 17. Cincinnati officially placed six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green (hamstring) on injured reserve on Saturday.
Sunday’s referee is Pete Morelli.
According to Weather.com, the forecast in Cincinnati calls for cloudy skies with temperatures reaching the mid-40s and winds up to seven miles per hour.
The Ravens are wearing white jerseys with black pants while the Bengals don black tops with black pants.
Sunday marks the 42nd meeting between these AFC North foes with Baltimore holding the slight 21-20 edge. The Ravens are seeking their first victory at Paul Brown Stadium in exactly five years.
Below are Sunday’s inactives:
BALTIMORE
WR Keenan Reynolds
WR Vince Mayle
RB Buck Allen
LB Lamar Louis
OL Ryan Jensen
OT Rick Wagner
TE Crockett Gillmore
CINCINNATI
QB Jeff Driskel
RB Jeremy Hill
LB Vontaze Burfict
G Christian Westerman
DT DeShawn Williams
TE Tyler Kroft
WR Jake Kumerow
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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