BALTIMORE — One of the few disappointments for the Ravens in the 29-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons was the season-ending injury to long snapper Morgan Cox.
The fifth-year snapper suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win. Cox previously tore the ACL in his left knee in a game against the Cleveland Browns late in his rookie season in 2010.
The Ravens will sign another long snapper this week with Cox expected to be placed on season-ending injured reserve as early as Monday.
Cox’s absence partially led to the Ravens going for it on fourth-and-9 from the Atlanta 39 with 1:54 remaining in the game since special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg was without his long snapper for the punt team. Quarterback Joe Flacco instead threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith to make it a 29-7 lead over Atlanta.
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who has served as the emergency field goal snapper in past seasons, was used to snap the extra point to holder Sam Koch. Head coach John Harbaugh smiled after the game when asked if Ngata would be used as the snapper moving forward, admitting he initially planned to go for the two-point conversion before Rosburg convinced him to let the Pro Bowl defensive lineman have a shot.
“Jerry was like, ‘Let [Haloti] do it. Let’s get the rep out here,'” Harbaugh said. “And he was exactly right, and he did a great job with it.”
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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