As if Ravens fans needed any other reason to feel good on Monday morning following an improbable 16-13 comeback victory over the San Diego Chargers, a Yahoo! Sports report provides even more excitement for division-leading Baltimore.
According to Michael Silver, injured linebacker Ray Lewis not only appears to be on schedule to make an improbable return from right triceps surgery, but it could even come before the end of the regular season. Multiple sources are saying the 37-year-old could even be back for the Week 15 showdown against the Denver Broncos.
Lewis suffered a right triceps tear in the Ravens’ Oct. 14 win over the Dallas Cowboys and is reportedly undergoing a variation of platelet-rich plasma therapy to aid in the healing process. After being placed on injured reserve with the designation to return, the veteran would be eligible to return to practice this week and would be eligible to return to action as soon as the Denver game.
“We’ll see in another couple of weeks,” general manager Ozzie Newsome told Silver on Sunday. “Stay tuned.”
Under the rules of the new IR rule, a player “designated to return” is eligible to begin practicing six weeks after receiving the designation and can return to game action eight weeks after being placed on IR.
The premise of Lewis even returning for a deep postseason run seemed absurd a few weeks ago, but the sight of him jumping around on the sideline and waving his arms wildly cannot be ignored so soon after the surgical procedure. And if skeptics needed any further evidence supporting the premise of Lewis making a miraculous recovery, all they need to do is look at linebacker Terrell Suggs, who made his return less than six months after surgery to repair a partially-torn Achilles tendon.
With the Ravens having the ability to clinch the AFC North with a win and a Bengals loss this coming Sunday, they have the margin for error and ammunition to remind Lewis to take his time and to not do anything reckless in the recovery period, but there’s too much smoke for there not to be fire for the linebacker’s return.
Trying to predict when it will happen is still more speculation than substance, but as was the case with Suggs, it’s looking more and more like a case of when and not if for the return of the greatest player in the history of the franchise.
