Ravens-Steelers: Inactives and pre-game notes

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BALTIMORE — It’s been 1,763 days since Pittsburgh beat the Ravens in Baltimore.
Add two more years for the last time longtime Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was at the helm for a win at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens hope to continue their home dominance over the Steelers Sunday while trying to move past the embarrassment of last week’s debacle in London. The 37-point loss to Jacksonville tied the franchise record for largest margin of defeat, but Pittsburgh is coming off its own ugly performance in an overtime loss at lowly Chicago last Sunday.
Injuries continue to take their toll on the Ravens as starting defensive end Brent Urban was lost for the season last week with a foot injury while defensive tackle Brandon Williams was ruled out for the second straight week with a foot injury sustained in Week 2. Those absences will put much pressure on a young defensive line lacking experience.
Second-year defensive end and 2016 third-round pick Bronson Kaufusi is active for the first time in his NFL career and figures to be a part of the game-day rotation. During pre-game warmups, he was lining up at the starting 5-technique defensive end spot while Carl Davis was at the 3-technique defensive tackle position in place of Williams.
After returning to practice as a full participant on Friday, veteran tight end Benjamin Watson (calf) is indeed active for Sunday’s game after successfully going through a morning workout at the stadium.
Second-year wide receiver Chris Moore is a healthy scratch as running back Alex Collins has recently assumed the kick return duties. Recently-signed veteran linebacker Jonathan Freeny is active and expected to fill an expanded role on special-teams units.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have three notable inactives as starting safety Mike Mitchell (hamstring), starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert (hamstring), and outside linebacker James Harrison (illness) will not play. All three were listed as questionable on the final injury report of the week, but it’s worth noting that Harrison’s role has diminished substantially due to the emergence of rookie T.J. Watt.
J.J. Wilcox is expected to start in place of Mitchell while Chris Hubbard will play right tackle for Pittsburgh.
Sunday’s referee is Walt Anderson.
According to Weather.com, the Sunday forecast in Baltimore calls for sunny skies and temperatures reaching the high 60s with calm winds around four miles per hour and no chance of precipitation.
The Ravens are wearing their alternate black jerseys with black pants while Pittsburgh dons white tops with gold pants.
Sunday marks the 43rd all-time meeting between these AFC North rivals in the regular season with the Steelers enjoying a slight 22-20 advantage. However, the Ravens have won six of the last eight overall meetings — including a road victory in the 2014 postseason — and own a 12-9 all-time record in Baltimore.
Below are Sunday’s inactives:
BALTIMORE
DT Brandon Williams
TE Maxx Williams
CB Jaylen Hill
WR Chris Moore
OL Tony Bergstrom
OL Dieugot Joseph
DE Chris Wormley
PITTSBURGH
QB Joshua Dobbs
WR Eli Rogers
S Mike Mitchell
OT Jerald Hawkins
OT Marcus Gilbert
LB James Harrison
DT Daniel McCullers

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