Ravens safety C. Thompson placed on IR with knee injury

A day before a crucial AFC North showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens announced rookie safety Christian Thompson has been placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Baltimore promoted safety Anthony Levine from the practice squad to take Thompson’s spot on the 53-man roster.
Thompson, a fourth-round pick from South Carolina State in April’s draft, was active seven games this season but did not record a tackle as he served on special teams. He was added to the Ravens’ injury report on Thursday, meaning he may have suffered the knee injury during that practice. The rookie was a non-participant during Friday’s practice and had been listed as questionable for Sunday night’s game.
Levine had spent the entire season on the Ravens’ practice squad after spending most of two years on Green Bay’s practice squad during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The former Tennessee State product has yet to appear in an NFL game.
Thompson’s injury is the third of the season-ending variety for the Baltimore secondary this year after losing safety Emanuel Cook to a broken leg in the preseason and top cornerback Lardarius Webb to an ACL injury in mid-October. Earlier this week, cornerback Jimmy Smith underwent sports hernia surgery, but the Ravens remain optimistic the 2011 first-round pick will return before the end of the season.