With Joe Flacco inactive for the third straight week, rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson will take his show on the road for the Ravens.
The 2018 first-round pick from Louisville will make the first away start of his career as the Ravens try to extend their two-game winning streak and improve their playoff positioning with a victory in Atlanta. A win and a solid performance very well could mean Jackson keeping the starting job despite Flacco (right hip) returning to practice on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday.
As expected, running back Kenneth Dixon is active and will play for the first time since Week 1. Dixon was activated from injured reserve on Saturday as former starter Alex Collins was placed on IR with a foot injury. Despite being listed as questionable with an ankle injury, Gus Edwards will make his second straight start and is aiming for his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game, something no Baltimore running back has accomplished since Justin Forsett in 2014.
Slot cornerback Tavon Young will make his return after missing last week’s game with a groin injury. That’s a positive development for a defense trying to slow the Falcons’ fourth-ranked passing attack.
With Tony Jefferson out with an ankle injury, second-year safety Chuck Clark will make his first NFL start.
A surprising healthy scratch was fullback and defensive lineman Patrick Ricard, who had played 16 offensive snaps in each of the last two games. However, the Ravens could easily use blocking tight ends Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams to account for those fullback snaps.
The Falcons have the daunting task of slowing a Baltimore rushing attack that’s collected more than 500 rushing yards over the last two weeks, but the return of 2017 Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones is significant. Jones hasn’t played since injuring his foot in Week 1.
The referee for Sunday’s game is Brad Allen.
With the roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium scheduled to be open for the 1 p.m. kickoff, the Weather.com forecast in Atlanta calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 70 degrees with winds five to 10 miles per hour and a 20-percent chance of rain.
The Ravens are wearing white jerseys with black pants while Atlanta dons its red jerseys and white pants for Week 13.
Sunday marks the sixth all-time meeting between these teams with Baltimore holding a slight 3-2 advantage. The Falcons held a 2-1 home advantage at the Georgia Dome, but the Ravens are playing at their new stadium for the first time.
Below are Sunday’s inactives:
BALTIMORE
QB Joe Flacco
S Tony Jefferson
OT James Hurst
LB Tim Williams
FB/DL Patrick Ricard
DL Zach Sieler
WR Jordan Lasley
ATLANTA
K Giorgio Tavecchio
RB Brian Hill
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
S Keith Tandy
S Ryan Neal
DE Steven Means
OT Matt Gono
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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