The Baltimore Ravens had cleared their COVID-19 list following their outbreak — a potential sign that things were looking up for the team at exactly the right time. While Baltimore has indeed played better football and is now on the cusp of earning a playoff berth, the Ravens have added punter Sam Koch to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley noted Koch was on the team’s injury list because of an inconclusive COVID-19 test. It’s unclear if that has been resolved and he has indeed tested positive for the cronavirus or if Koch is being placed on the list out of caution, but it likely means Baltimore will be without their only punter for Week 17.
While Koch’s job is clearly to punt the football, he means a great deal more to the team than just that lone role. Koch is also the holder on field goals and extra points — a member of “The Wolfpack” along with longsnapper Morgan Cox and kicker Justin Tucker — and a part of the reason for their continued success in that area.
The Ravens could look to find another punter before Sunday but that would be quite a stretch to see them pass the COVID-19 protocols and have time to practice for the game itself. Tucker could fill in as the punter, having punted at Texas and averaging 40.5 yards-per-punt on 155 punts. However, Baltimore would still need to find a holder for Tucker on field goals and extra points.
As the Ravens saw in Week 15, the Jacksonville Jaguars used a combination of kicker Aldrick Rosas and going for it on fourth downs to limp through the game without a punter. Given Baltimore is going up against the 4-10-1 Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, there might not be much of a need for Koch’s services as a punter and the Ravens could attempt something similar.
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