BALTIMORE — The Ravens will be without three starters for Sunday’s meeting with New Orleans.
After suffering injuries late in the practice week, cornerback Marlon Humphrey (thigh) and right tackle James Hurst were both deactivated, joining starting left guard Alex Lewis (neck) after he had already been declared out on Friday. Those absences leave the Ravens with just four healthy cornerbacks and six active offensive linemen against the Saints, less-than-ideal developments against one of the NFC’s best teams.
Humphrey made an appearance on the field roughly 25 minutes before the inactives list was released Sunday afternoon, but he was only an observer while wearing a sweatsuit, making it clear he wasn’t preparing to play. His absence means veteran Jimmy Smith will make his first start of the season after playing on a rotational basis in the last two games. Smith will play opposite Brandon Carr on the outside with Tavon Young manning the nickel and Cyrus Jones serving as the fourth corner. Rookie cornerback Anthony Averett (hamstring) was deactivated for the fifth straight game after returning to practice on only a limited basis this week.
Hurst being scratched was surprising after the Ravens elected not to promote one of their three offensive linemen — Jermaine Eluemunor, Nico Siragusa, and Randin Crecelius — currently on the practice squad. Rookies Bradley Bozeman and Orlando Brown are expected to make their first NFL starts at left guard and right tackle, respectively, with Hroniss Grasu serving as the lone reserve lineman. Baltimore typically goes into every game with two active reserves for the offensive line, so an in-game injury or two could spark a major problem.
The Saints will have the services of right guard Larry Warford, who was listed as questionable on the final injury report with a back injury. New Orleans will be without left guard Andrus Peat, who was ruled out with a head injury on Friday.
New Orleans also deactivated reserve offensive tackle and former Towson University star Jermon Bushrod, who revealed this weekend that he’s mourning the death of his week-old daughter.
The Weather.com forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 50s. However, winds 15 to 25 miles per hour with occasional gusts approaching 40 miles per hour could create problems in the passing game. Winds are supposed to decrease as the game progresses.
Sunday’s referee is John Parry.
The Ravens are wearing their purple jerseys with purple pants — the first time we’ve seen this combination in a non-“Color Rush” capacity — while New Orleans dons white tops with black pants pants for Week 7.
Sunday marks the seventh all-time meeting between these teams with the Ravens holding a 5-1 advantage and a 3-1 record in Baltimore. Saints quarterback Drew Brees is just one touchdown pass away from the 500th of his career, but the future Hall of Famer is 0-4 in his career against the Ravens, the only NFL team he has never defeated.
Below are Sunday’s inactives:
BALTIMORE
CB Marlon Humphrey
OL James Hurst
CB Anthony Averett
G Alex Lewis
WR Jordan Lasley
DL Zach Sieler
QB Robert Griffin III
NEW ORLEANS
G Andrus Peat
OL Jermon Bushrod
OL Will Clapp
DB J.T. Gray
DE Trey Hendrickson
DL Mitch Loewen
DT Taylor Stallworth
