The Baltimore Ravens ruled out star quarterback Lamar Jackson for a second week in a row, positioning backup Cooper Rush to start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
Jackson was knocked out of the Ravens’
Week 4 loss to the Chiefs with a hamstring injury that was expected to sidelined him for multiple games.
With Rush under center in Week 5, Baltimore’s offense only put up 10 points and 207 yards against a ferocious Texans defense. They will have a similar uphill battle against the Rams on Sunday, though their defense hasn’t been quite as dominant as Houston’s.
Linebacker Roquan Smith was also ruled out, as expected. Like Jackson, he is nursing a hamstring injury with hopes for a post-bye return.
However, Ravens fans did receive some good news on Friday with All-Pro defensive backs Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey both off the injury report after missing last week’s game. With full practices on Thursday and Friday, both will be good to go on Sunday, providing a major boost to Baltimore’s secondary. Hamilton has been the Ravens’ best defender this year, and while Humphrey has struggled, the team would certainly prefer to have him on the field as opposed to not.
Offensive tackles Ronnie Stanley, Roger Rosengarten, and Joe Noteboom were also removed from the injury report. Stanley attempted to play through an ankle injury in Week 5 but was replaced by Noteboom during the game. Noteboom then picked up an ankle injury of his own, and Rosengarten hurt his knee. All three were limited on Wednesday, raising significant concern about the team’s tackle depth, but full participation in the last two practices cleared them for Sunday’s game.
Here are the Ravens’ final injury designations for Week 6 against the Rams:
Questionable
- WR Zay Flowers (shoulder)
Out
- CB Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring)
- QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring)
- OL Emery Jones (shoulder)
- FB Patrick Ricard (calf)
- ILB Roquan Smith (hamstring)
- WR Devontez Walker (oblique)
Flowers was a limited participant in practice all week, so fans can be optimistic about his odds to play on Sunday. The Ravens’ leading receiver stayed in that role with Rush under center in Week 5, notching team-highs of five receptions and 72 receiving yards – almost 35% of the offense’s total yardage on the day.
Baltimore’s other absences were all expected, and a few of those sidelined players made progress this week. Awuzie returned to practice on Friday and should have a chance at returning after the Ravens’ Week 7 bye. There may be hope for a similar timeline for Patrick Ricard, who practiced this week for the first time since mid-August, but the Ravens will be cautious with their veteran fullback. He already had one setback while recovering from his initial calf injury and the team will want to avoid a second one.
Rookie offensive tackle Emery Jones had a full week of practice and appears close to his NFL debut, though the Ravens will keep him on the non-football injury list for another week.
The only negative update from the Ravens’ Week 6 injury report was a downgrade in Devontez Walker’s practice status. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday but missed Friday’s session altogether.
The Rams are significantly healthier than the Ravens heading into Week 6. They have just two players expected to miss the game and two others questionable, listed below:
Questionable
- WR Tutu Atwell (hamstring)
- TE Colby Parkins (concussion)
Doubtful
- OT Rob Havenstein (ankle)
- ILB Omar Speights (ankle)
While Havenstein and Speights are both starters, neither are among the top five most important players in their respective units. Warren McClendon Jr. will replace Havenstein at right tackle, while Troy Reeder will likely take on Speights’ snaps.
Neither Atwell nor Parkins draw many targets, so their absences are unlikely to slow a hot Rams offense against the Ravens’ bottom-ranked defense.
