The Baltimore Ravens have all the things necessary for a deep and magical playoff run towards Super Bowl LIV. They have an MVP-caliber quarterback, a tough run game, an aggressive and well-disciplined defense, the right amount of swagger and energy buzzing around them, and a coaching staff that has everyone on board with what they’re doing. But atop all those things, Baltimore is the healthiest team remaining (knocks on wood).
Coming into Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens’ injury report was squeaky clean. The only players that missed any time were guys given days off to help keep them fresh. And while Baltimore got a few more bumps and bruises in that game, including running back Mark Ingram suffering a calf injury, they finished the 2019 regular season in good health relatively speaking.
Look around to the rest of the competition in the AFC and you’ll see a bunch of teams dealing with major injuries to key players.
The Kansas City Chiefs just saw starting safety Juan Thornhill suffer a torn ACL, which will end his season prematurely. Cornerback Morris Claiborne has also missed three consecutive games with a shoulder injury.
The Houston Texans put starting safety Tashaun Gipson on injured reserve with a back injury. While they’re getting back pass rusher J.J. Watt back from injured reserve, they’re dealing with a bunch of other smaller injuries to impact defensive players like linebacker Benardrick McKinney and cornerback Jonathan Joseph.
The New England Patriots are a little banged up as well, dealing with injuries to starters like wide receiver Julian Edelman, linebackers Jamie Collins and Ja’Whuan Bentley, as well as cornerbacks Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones.
The Buffalo Bills saw a number of key players go down in the final game even while resting other guys. Cornerback Levi Wallace was carted off the field, offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe left the game with an ankle injury. Cornerback Taron Johnson limped off the field in the final minutes as well.
The Tennessee Titans were without starting wide receiver Adam Humphries and cornerback Adoree Jackson in Week 17 and Humphries missed Tuesday’s practice this week.
Meanwhile, the Ravens rested many of their starters in Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and still picked up a decisive win. With a first-round bye, Baltimore will get a little more rest before having to suit up and get back on the field, which should lead to yet another squeaky clean injury report next week.
Though the Ravens have dealt with a number of big injuries this season — including safety Tony Jefferson, cornerback Tavon Young and pass rusher Pernell McPhee all going to injured reserve — they’ve largely kept away from the lengthy injury reports of previous years. When guys have gone down, Baltimore has seen backups step up into their starting roles and play exceptional football. And when they’ve needed a little extra help on top of that, general manager Eric DeCosta has picked up gems either through free agency or in trading for cornerback Marcus Peters.
The Ravens are built for playoff football. When the weather gets colder, teams with great rushing attacks and punishing defenses tend to set themselves apart. And while the rest of the AFC playoff class is dealing with a lengthy list of injuries, Baltimore will be as close to 100% as any team can get this late in the season.
That bodes well for a Ravens team that has been so dominant when playing their brand of football — including games against many of these playoff teams. And it’s likely one of the reasons Baltimore is favored to win the Super Bowl.
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