OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens won’t have star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike for Monday night’s game against an explosive Detroit offense.
When exactly the two-time Pro Bowl selection will play again is the more pressing question.
After suffering a neck injury in last Sunday’s win over Cleveland, Madubuike missed the entire practice week and was ruled out for Week 3 by head coach John Harbaugh after Saturday’s practice. Of course, concerns extend beyond the 27-year-old’s availability for one game against the Lions when talking about a health issue pertaining to the neck.
“I really can’t share any details on the injury itself, but it’s something that they’re looking at,” said Harbaugh, who declined to say whether Madubuike could land on injured reserve. “He came up with some symptoms after the game. Nothing specific in the game where we saw it actually happen, but they’re dealing with the symptoms and they’re testing right now. So, he will be ruled out for this game, and they’re going to try to get to the bottom of it.”
In the second season of a four-year, $98 million contract that made him one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackles, Madubuike got off to a strong start in 2025 with a sack in each of the first two games as well as a team-high 10 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. His 13 sacks in 2023 were the most in the league by an interior defensive lineman that season and most by a Raven since Elvis Dumervil’s franchise-record 17 in 2014. He followed that with another strong campaign in 2024 that included 6 1/2 sacks and a second straight invitation to the Pro Bowl.
Excluding four games due to COVID-19 protocols in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, this will mark the first time Madubuike has missed a game because of injury since a bad knee sidelined him for the first four contests of his 2020 rookie campaign.
With edge rusher and 2024 sacks leader Kyle Van Noy also out with a hamstring injury suffered against the Browns, the timing isn’t great for a Baltimore defense aiming to slow down Jared Goff and the Lions, who scored 52 points in Week 2. It’s not a secret that Goff’s performance level includes one of the more extreme splits when being pressured compared to operating from a clean pocket, so defensive coordinator Zach Orr will need to find other ways to make the veteran quarterback uncomfortable.
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After flashing inside rush potential during the preseason, sixth-round rookie defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles is one player who figures to see increased opportunities in Madubuike’s place after playing 34 defensive snaps over his first two games. Of course, such an absence isn’t one that can be made up easily by an ensemble cast.
“It would hurt any team. He’s one of the best defensive tackles in this whole entire league,” Peebles said. “He’s somebody that I love watching his game, love studying his game, so it hurts. It hurts not having an All-Pro defender out there.”
In addition to Madubuike and Van Noy, the Ravens also ruled out standout tight end Isaiah Likely and five-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard (calf) for the third consecutive game.
Likely was only able to practice on a limited basis throughout the week, which wasn’t a promising sign for his Week 3 availability after his extended absence from undergoing foot surgery on Aug. 1.
Cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (groin) and Nate Wiggins (groin) and running back Rasheen Ali (concussion) do not carry a game status designation despite being on this week’s injury report.
Meanwhile, Detroit officially ruled out starting defensive end Marcus Davenport with a chest injury.
8Below is the final injury report for Week 3:
BALTIMORE
OUT: TE Isaiah Likely (foot), DT Nnamdi Madubuike (neck), FB Patrick Ricard (calf), OLB Kyle Van Noy (hamstring)
DETROIT
OUT: DE Marcus Davenport (chest)
QUESTIONABLE: LB Jack Campbell (ankle), S Kerby Joseph (knee), CB D.J. Reed (knee), OT Taylor Decker (shoulder)
