BALTIMORE — As if an earthquake and hurricane in the same week wasn’t enough, a touch of snow in late October explains how strange of a start it’s been to the 2011 season in Baltimore.
While it may not explain the inexplicable losses to Tennessee and Jacksonville, the Ravens will try to bring some normalcy back into the picture against the 1-5 Arizona Cardinals Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium. Having lost five in a row after a season-opening win over Carolina, the Cardinals face the daunting task of coming east to take on an angry Ravens team with something to prove on the offensive side of the football.
Sunday marks the fifth all-time meeting between the teams, with the Ravens holding a 3-1 advantage in the series. The Cardinals’ only win over Baltimore came at Memorial Stadium in 1997.
The Ravens have won 13 of their last 14 games at M&T Bank Stadium and have not lost consecutive games since October 2009 when they dropped three straight to New England, Cincinnati, and Minnesota.
With cornerback Danny Gorrer injuring his thigh during Thursday’s practice, the Ravens will depend on rookie Jimmy Smith and returning veteran Chris Carr to handle duties in the nickel and dime packages behind starters Cary Williams and Lardarius Webb. In addition to Gorrer, rookie corner Chykie Brown is also inactive.
For Arizona, running back Beanie Wells (knee) will be active, but former Ravens tight end Todd Heap will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury.
Here are today’s inactives:
Baltimore
CB Danny Gorrer
CB Chykie Brown
CB Sergio Kindle
WR Lee Evans
G Ben Grubbs
LB Dannell Ellerbe
RB Anthony Allen
Arizona
TE Todd Heap
LB Joey Porter
QB Richard Bartel
WR Stephen Williams
FS Kerry Rhodes
T D’Anthony Batiste
DE Ronald Talley
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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