Ravens Getting Healthy As Game Against Packers Approaches
By Samuel Njoku
With the Green Bay Packers coming into town, the Ravens will want their guns fully loaded for a potential shootout. But Baltimore hasn't been the healthiest team in the league so far in 2013. And with plenty of weapons dealing with injuries, the Ravens may not be ready for what's to come on Sunday against Aaron Rodgers.
Last week, the Ravens hobbled onto Sun Life stadium in Miami with only three active wide receivers. Torrey Smith, Tandon Doss and Deonte Thompson were the only receivers to suit up while the remaining players were inactive. That may have been okay against a team like the Dolphins, but fielding only three receivers against the Packers would be disastrous. Jacoby Jones was limited in practice throughout the week for the second straight week and is again listed as questionable for game day. Marlon Brown's thigh injury was severe enough that he could play against Miami, but practiced all week and is also listed as questionable.
When Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked about the status of his receivers, he remained optimistic that most if not all his players could play against Green Bay. Having that many receivers healthy enough to play gives Baltimore a good problem to have. Harbaugh knows that choosing who won't be active if healthy will be a hard decision.
"It's strictly game plan," stated Harbaugh on Friday. "It's strictly the fact that we're going to have a bunch of guys healthy for the first time."
With a potential shoot out on the horizon, Baltimore may be better off having all of their healthy players out on the football field on Sunday. Of course the Ravens receivers won't be as useful if Flacco doesn't have protection in the pocket. That makes Kelechi Osemele's status all the more important. The Ravens guard dealt with back spasms that caused him to miss most of last week's game against the Dolphins. Osemele placed some of the blame on his hotel room's soft mattress.
"One of the major things is the bed I sleep in has to be really firm," stated Ravens guard Kelechi Osemele with a smirk. "It was a really soft bed. That's another thing that kind of throws my back out of whack. It was too soft. I can't be on a soft mattress. It's got to be firm."
I'm sure the staff in charge of picking hotel rooms for the players on the road will play close attention to that from now on. Without Osemele on the field, Flacco took quite a beating and barely left Miami unscathed. Though the Packers will be without Clay Matthews on Sunday, the Ravens will feel more comfortable with Osemele on the field instead of sitting on the sideline.
Baltimore Ravens Injury Report
Doubtful:
- DT Terrence Cody (knee)
Questionable:
- CB Chykie Brown (thigh)
- WR Marlon Brown (thigh)
- S Michael Huff (back)
- C Ryan Jensen (foot)
- WR Jacoby Jones (knee)
- LB Albert McClellan (shoulder)
- DT Haloti Ngata (hip)
- G Kelechi Osemele (back)
- RB Bernard Pierce (thigh)
- DT Marcus Spears (knee)
- WR Brandon Stokley (thigh)
For more Ravens news and updates, visit Ravens Central.
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. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
