INJURIES CONTINUE TO MOUNT FOR RAVENS
Injuries continue mounting for the Baltimore Ravens ahead of their matchup against the Houston Texans.
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh was added to Thursday's injury report with an eye injury and participated on a limited basis.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson, cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, safety Kyle Hamilton, and fullback Patrick Ricard all sat out practice. Hamilton had been limited on Wednesday before being downgraded.
On the brighter side, cornerback Nate Wiggins, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, and wide receiver Devontez Walker all returned after missing Wednesday's session. Center Tyler Linderbaum upgraded from a limited participant to a full participant on Thursday.
Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, nose tackle Travis Jones, and offensive tackle Emory Jones were all limited in practice.
BALTIMORE RAVENS OFFENSE
We all marvel at Lamar Jackson's ability to make something out of nothing, whether it's with his arm or his legs. He's known as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in NFL history, tallying historic numbers with the Baltimore Ravens for years.
Jackson's absence will significantly impact Baltimore's offensive approach against Houston.
After missing his second consecutive practice, attention turns to Cooper Rush, the eight-year veteran who would make his first Ravens start.
Rush is no stranger to starting reps. He's led the Dallas Cowboys to multiple wins while Dak Prescott was out with an injury. As a starter, his record is 9-5.
Both offensive coordinator Todd Monken and tight end Mark Andrews praised Rush and his preparation.
"[Cooper Rush] is the consummate pro. From the moment he got here ... He was here the whole offseason, and you can see why he has been successful. He’s played a lot of football in this league. You forget his record as a starter. It's outstanding. He did a great job. Everybody that you spoke to in Dallas, [their comments were] glowing about [him], and the guys that went – [Garrett] Nussmeier went to the Saints and Kellen Moore, they loved him. He's been as good as advertised,” Monken said.
“[Cooper Rush] is a pro's pro. He really dove into this offense [and] understands extremely well, so he's going to know. He is going to be on his P's and Q’s. He is going to know what to do, and I know he's fired up for the opportunity to go show what he is all about. There's a reason why he's been in the league for nine years, I think it is, now. He's a really good player,” said Andrews.
A lot of fans speculate there will be an emphasis on the run game on Sunday without Jackson, who is a key factor in the read option scheme with running back Derrick Henry.
Henry kept it simple when asked if Rush starting changes his job at all.
"No, my job is the same," said Henry.
After head coach John Harbaugh was critical of the Ravens' offensive approach against the Kansas City Chiefs, Monken said that he agreed with the criticisms and he plans to try to get the running game back on track by "calling it more often."
"That's a part of it. And stacking plays – you guys hit it over the weeks that I've gotten up here before, which is we're either getting to the point where we're scoring pretty fast, or we're getting off the field fast, and that's not a great recipe, because you can't stack plays. The idea of being able to run the ball, stay ahead of the chains, that's a part of it. That's not deflecting. We need to be able to run it better and need to call it more often, because we have really good players back there, but we have really good players at a lot of spots," said Monken.
BALTIMORE RAVENS DEFENSE
The Ravens' defense has been an issue so far this season, and injuries aren't helping the cause.
So far, the Ravens have given up 133 points, the most through the first four games in team history.
Nnamdi Madubuike was ruled out for the year with a neck injury. Marlon Humphrey and Roquan Smith are likely out for this game, with Hamilton's status up in the air at the moment.
Defensive coordinator Zach Orr said that the team will be leaning on the young guys to step up while the vets work on their recovery.
"We work the mess out of the rookies, within the rules, and we tell them this is for a reason like this. You never know when you’ll have to be out there, and that time is now. So, we're excited about it, and we're going to still be able to get to a lot of things, because like I said, it's a good rookie class. I've been impressed with them. They've been a mature group. I think they'll be able to handle what we have in the gameplan and be able to go out there and execute it,” Orr said.
Beyond the rookies, veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander represents another option to help fill the void.
Alexander hasn't seen action since the team's matchup against Buffalo but has been working back into game shape.
According to Orr, his progress is looking promising.
“[Jaire Alexander] is getting close. He's getting close. I'm saying that he's getting close. I think he's stacked a good couple weeks of practice. You can see that he's getting his swagger back, like I said last week, and that's continued to trend upwards. So, when he's fully ready, he'll know. And they'll let us know, and we'll be ready for him, and he'll play great football for us,” he said.
The Ravens will look to hold a Texans offense that has struggled to start the year and is looking to catch its stride.
CONCLUSION
Baltimore proved its resilience last season, overcoming early struggles to capture the division title.
However, with mounting injuries and defensive struggles, Sunday's matchup against Houston represents a crucial test of the team's depth and adaptability.
While Houston is only 1-3, they could look to take advantage of a Ravens team that is battered and bruised right now and get one step closer to getting back to .500.
Baltimore will have to lean on its healthy playmakers, maintain good trench play, and get consistent stops on third down to come out of Sunday with a win.
