LONDON — For the first time in the 22-year history of the franchise, the Ravens are playing a game outside the United States as they take on Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium in London.
Having arrived Friday morning, Baltimore aims to start 3-0 for the second year in a row and just the third time in the John Harbaugh era. The Jaguars are playing in London for the fifth straight year, giving them the experience edge in adjusting to the five-hour time change and playing in the iconic venue. However, the number of Baltimore fans witnessed on the streets of London compared to Jacksonville fans this week could give the Ravens a home-field feel at Wembley.
The biggest surprise on the list of inactives was offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom, who filled in for the injured Marshal Yanda in the second half of last Sunday’s game. Recently promoted from the practice squad, Matt Skura was lining up as the starting right guard during pre-game warmups and did start all four preseason games last month.
Rookie offensive lineman and London native Jermaine Eluemunor is also active for the first time this season.
The Ravens will be without their anchor on the defensive line after Brandon Williams (foot) was already ruled out on Friday. Third-year defensive tackle Carl Davis will start in his place in the base defense, but second-year defensive lineman Willie Henry is also active for the first time this season.
Despite missing practices in Owings Mills on Wednesday and Thursday, running back Terrance West (calf) is active and will play. He received just two carries in the second half of the 24-10 win over Cleveland as Buck Allen and Alex Collins handled the workload in the backfield.
Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith (knee/ankle) is also active and will return to action for the first time since the season opener. He was a full participant in practice all week and was moving around well during a pre-game workout.
There were no surprises among the Jacksonville inactives as both left tackle Cam Robinson (shoulder) and cornerback Jalen Ramsey (ankle) were activated despite being listed as questionable on the final injury report.
Sunday’s referee is Pete Morelli.
According to Weather.com, the Sunday forecast in London calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures reaching 70 degrees with winds up to 10 miles per hour and no chance of precipitation.
The Ravens are wearing white jerseys with black pants while the Jaguars don black tops with black pants for Week 3.
Sunday marks the 21st all-time meeting between these former AFC Central rivals with Jacksonville holding an 11-9 advantage. However, the Ravens are 9-3 against the Jaguars since the start of the 2000 season and won last year’s Week 3 meeting between the teams in Jacksonville.
Below are Sunday’s inactives:
BALTIMORE
OL Tony Bergstrom
DE Chris Wormley
DE Bronson Kaufusi
DT Brandon Williams
CB Jaylen Hill
OT Diegot Joseph
TE Maxx Williams
JACKSONVILLE
QB Ryan Nassib
RB T.J. Yeldon
LB Lerentee McCray
OL William Poehls
OL Josh Walker
CB Jalen Myrick
WR Jaelen Strong
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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