OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Trying to regroup from the sting of back-to-back home losses, the Ravens aren’t exactly a picture of health for their Sunday night clash with rival Cincinnati.
Baltimore officially ruled out top wide receiver Rashod Bateman (foot), outside linebacker Justin Houston (groin), and running back Justice Hill (hamstring) on Friday afternoon after none were able to practice throughout the week. Bateman and Hill left the Week 4 loss to Buffalo with their respective injuries while Houston hasn’t played or practiced since straining his groin in the first half of the Week 3 win at New England.
Bateman’s absence leaves the Ravens thin at wide receiver with Devin Duvernay being the only other player at the position with more than five catches and 41 receiving yards through the first four games. After registering 59 or more receiving yards in each of the first three games, Bateman caught three passes for a season-low 17 receiving yards in the loss to the Bills.
“He’s really coming along as a receiver, so if he’s not out there, he’s definitely going to be missed,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said Thursday. ” But the flip side of that is we have some other guys who can step in there and make plays for us as well. I like what I’m seeing out at practice this week, so we just have to keep working through it.”
Another situation to monitor will be the status of cornerback Marcus Peters, who was added to the injury report with a quad issue on Thursday and sat out Friday’s practice. The three-time Pro Bowl defensive back was officially listed as questionable on the final injury report. For what it’s worth, cornerback Marlon Humphrey is the only Baltimore player through the first four weeks of the season to miss a Friday practice for an injury-related reason and still play in that Sunday’s game.
After practicing fully on Wednesday and Thursday for a second straight week, left tackle Ronnie Stanley once again sat out a Friday workout and was listed as questionable. Including the playoffs, Stanley has missed 31 of Baltimore’s last 32 games, but head coach John Harbaugh expressed some optimism that this could finally be the week for the 2019 All-Pro selection’s return to game action.
“I’m feeling good, yes. We’ll see where we’re at,” Harbaugh said. “I’m not going to really comment on who’s playing and who’s not playing.”
If Stanley doesn’t play, the Ravens are still in better shape at offensive tackle with Patrick Mekari (ankle) practicing fully by week’s end and not carrying an injury designation into Sunday night’s game. Mekari sat out in Week 4.
In contrast, the Bengals are a healthier team with tight end Hayden Hurst (groin) being the only player on their 53-man roster to sit out Friday’s practice. Wide receiver Tee Higgins was officially listed as questionable after being limited with an ankle injury all week, but reports from Cincinnati indicate he’s expected to play on Sunday night.
Below is the final injury report for Week 5:
BALTIMORE
OUT: WR Rashod Bateman (foot), G Ben Cleveland (foot), RB Justice Hill (hamstring), OLB Justin Houston (groin)
QUESTIONABLE: CB Marcus Peters (quad), OT Ronnie Stanley (ankle)
CINCINNATI
QUESTIONABLE: TE Devin Asiasi (ankle), WR Tee Higgins (ankle), TE Hayden Hurst (groin)
