It was 10 years ago Saturday that the Ravens lost to an 0-13 team, an embarrassing defeat that led to the dismissal of longtime head coach Brian Billick a few weeks later.
Baltimore hopes history will not repeat against the winless Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but the difference this time around is John Harbaugh’s team having much more to play for than that 2007 team that was in the midst of a nine-game winning streak and merely playing out the string. These Ravens are almost guaranteed a trip to the playoffs if they win their final three games against teams with a combined 8-32 record entering the weekend, so there should be no excuse for a letdown.
As expected, wide receiver Mike Wallace (ankle) is active and will start despite missing two days of practice this week. Wallace turned his right ankle in the first quarter of last Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, but he was able to return for the next series and played the rest of the game.
Third-year wide receiver Breshad Perriman is also active for just the second time in five games since the bye week. With both Wallace and Chris Moore (hip) less than 100 percent, the 2015 first-round pick will likely serve as an insurance policy more than anything else on Sunday.
Rookie outside linebacker Tim Williams is a healthy scratch after being active for the last four games. The third-round pick from Alabama struggled last week and was put on skates as Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell scored his 11-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith is active and returns to the defensive rotation after sitting out last week’s game with a shoulder injury.
Browns cornerback Jamar Taylor will play after being listed as questionable on the final injury report. The starting defensive back missed practices all week with a foot injury, but he is expected to start opposite Jason McCourty.
Sunday’s referee is Clete Blakeman.
According to Weather.com, the Sunday forecast in Cleveland calls for mostly cloudy skies and temperatures reaching the high 30s with winds five to 10 miles per hour and only a 20 percent chance of precipitation.
The Ravens are wearing purple jerseys with black pants while the Browns don white tops with white pants for their final home game of the 2017 season.
Sunday marks the 38th all-time meeting between these AFC North teams with Baltimore enjoying an incredible 28-9 advantage dating back to 1999. The Ravens are 17-2 against Cleveland in the John Harbaugh era, but the last four games at FirstEnergy Stadium have resulted in one-score finals.
Below are Sunday’s inactives:
BALTIMORE
RB Terrance West
CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste
LB Tim Williams
OL Jermaine Eluemunor
OL Maurquice Shakir
DE Bronson Kaufusi
DE Chris Wormley
CLEVELAND
QB Cody Kessler
CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
S Justin Currie
OL Marcus Martin
OL Geoff Gray
WR Matt Hazel
TE Matt Lengel
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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