After suffering an early back injury against the Giants, Baltimore Ravens’ center Patrick Mekari was sidelined and quickly downgraded from questionable to out. In his post-game chat, head coach John Harbaugh seemed optimistic the injury wasn’t serious, but arguably left us all with more questions than answers given his general uncertainty about the issue.
“His back tightened up on him, so we’ll have to get that looked at and see what it is,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t think we think it’s going to be anything that’ll keep him out for an extended period, but we’ll always have to look at a back and see.”
Matt Skura, who had been benched in favor of Mekari after starting the first 10 games this season, filled in admirably to finish the game. But noticeable snap issues reappeared almost instantly, reminding us all why Skura was benched in the first place.
Baltimore has rebounded well in December after a dreadful November performance that put a major dent in their playoff hopes. Mekari, who is likely the Ravens’ answer at center as they look toward the postseason, could be one of the catalysts of that rebound. His consistent play in recent weeks has certainly been critical in a season riddled with offensive line injuries and reshuffling.
His availability moving forward is something Baltimore’s coaches and fans will need to monitor, especially when the competition in the playoffs takes a significant jump from the stretch of games Baltimore has played leading up to them.
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