Ravens' Bernard Pollard Should Play Against The Patriots
By Samuel Njoku
The New England Patriots will head to Baltimore to battle the Ravens, and while both teams are relatively healthy, here's a rundown of who maybe hobbling into the match-up.
Jah Reid, OT, (leg): doubtful
Jah Reid is still dealing with a leg injury and has yet to play this season. But on Friday, Reid made an appearance in practice even though he didn’t participate. Though this may not seem like a significant step on that path to his return, Reid enjoyed the experience.
“It felt great just being out there with the guys instead of being in the training room,” Reid said. “You can do great things in there, but nothing is like playing football itself.”
Reid has upgraded his injury status over the last few weeks from “Out” to “Doubtful.” But it’s safe to assume that the offensive lineman will not be playing in this football game.
Paul Kruger, LB, (back): Probable
Paul Kruger missed last week’s game with a back injury he suffered against the Bengals. The move was surprising considering how optimistic Kruger was about playing against the Eagles. But Kruger participated fully in practice most of the week and all signs suggest he will play against the Patriots.
Bernard Pollard, S, (chest): Probable
Bernard Pollard suffered a chest contusion in last week’s game against the Eagles. Many wondered if he would be able to compete in this Sunday’s game. But Pollard was very optimistic from the start that he would not miss this game.
“I’m ready to go,” stated Pollard. “Excited to be playing and that’s all I can say.”
Pollard was limited in practice most of the week, but fully participated on Friday. Baltimore looks to be giving him the green light as he is listed as probable for this game. The Ravens will need Pollard in this game as the Patriots make it a habit of targeting their tight ends.
Healthy and Ready to Play
LB Jameel McClain (knee), DE Pernell McPhee (knee), OT Michael Oher (ankle), and CB Lardarius Webb (knee) all appeared on the injury report as probable. All of the players are dealing with minor injuries that the Ravens have watched closely. Oher stated that he felt “pretty healthy” and should be a go along with the rest of the Ravens players.
Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez listed as Out against Baltimore:
The injury that may have the biggest impact in this game is being felt from the opposing team. Patriots’ tight end Aaron Hernandez is listed as “out” as he deals with an ankle injury he suffered in last week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Patriots love to field a 2-TE set that causes major mismatch problems for opposing defenses. New England signed free agent TE Kellen Winslow to bring depth to the position and perhaps even contribute on Sunday.
“It's a good fit,” Winslow said. “I've never been in this kind of situation, but a situation arose where Aaron got hurt, and we're kind of similar, so I'm going to come in here and help out.
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Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. He can be reached for comments at SamuelN870@gmail.com. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
