After missing his ninth straight practice, Baltimore Ravens star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, will miss a third straight game. The former unanimous league MVP was one of three multi-time Pro Bowl players that the team officially ruled out on the final injury report for their Week 16 interconference matchup with the Atlanta Falcons on Christmas Eve with the other two being cornerback Marcus Peters (calf) and defensive end Calais Campbell (knee) who are expected to “miss some time”.
Game status vs. Falcons:
Head coach John Harbaugh announced that third-year pro, Tyler Huntley, will serve as the starter in his place. It will mark his seventh career start and the third straight since Jackson suffered a knee sprain early in the team’s Week 13 win over the Denver Broncos.
The Ravens have gone 1-1 over the past two games with the former undrafted free agent at the helm and are coming off a woeful 13-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. The offense’s struggles in the passing game have been the talk of the town but their issues scoring no matter how it comes has been the bigger issue no matter which signal-caller has been under center since the team returned from their bye week.
“We’ve just got to continue to practice like we’ve been doing, working on our emphasis, and when we get out there, we’ve got to put it all on the line and go get us some touchdowns; that’s all that matters,” Huntley said in a press conference on December 22, 2022. “It’s literally the game of inches, so between a fourth down and a touchdown down there, it’s just that big.”
With Peters out, the Ravens plan to have second-year pro Brandon Stephens assume a larger role and start in his place as the outside cornerback opposite three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey.
“The best thing that I can say about Brandon is he goes out there and competes,” Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald said in a press conference on December 21, 2022. “There are some situations where he’ll win some, lose some, but the guy is out there, and he’s battling, and he knows what to do, he’s very conscientious. But his role is going to increase now with ‘MP’ going down, so we expect him to go out there and not miss a beat.”
The 2021 third-round pick has played both safety and cornerback during his time with the team but is best suited to play on the perimeter. He always has the “next man up mentality” and while he doesn’t relish in his teammate’s minor setback, he is excited about his opportunity to step up and help the team.
“I feel good on an island, the coaches trust me out there,” Stephens said to the media on December 22, 2022. “I’ve just got to go out there and prove myself and prove to everybody else that I can strap receivers up and help this team win.
Thankfully the team is nowhere near as thin in their defensive trenches as they are at cornerback so while Campbell’s absence will be noticeable, it won’t be as glaring. They still have third-year pros Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington who are having strong seasons, veteran Brent Urban who can fill in admirably at his defensive end, and rookie Travis Jones.
This could be the week that they pull up one of their talented young defensive linemen from the practice squad with a run-based Falcons offense coming to town. Fourth-year pro Isiash Mack and undrafted rookie Rayshod Nichols both stood out in the preseason.
Sammy Watkins Expected to Play
The Ravens and the nine-year veteran reunited on Tuesday when the team claimed him off waivers after he was released by the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. He spent the 2021 season in Baltimore where he finished fourth on the team in receiving yards with 394 on 27 receptions for an average of 14.6 yards per catch in 13 games according to Pro Football Reference.
Despite only being back in town for less than a week, Watkins is slated to make his 2022 Ravens debut against the Falcons this Saturday after impressing the coaching in practice leading up to the game.
“We’re probably going to play him,” head coach John Harbaugh said in a press conference. “He looks great. There was some familiarity with the offense, and I’m really, really happy and excited to have him.”
Given his familiarity with the Ravens’ offensive scheme and experience, catching passes from both Jackson and Huntley having just played for the team less than a year ago, his learning curb is much shorter than most new additions would be at this stage of the season.
“Definitely have to do a lot of catching up on certain situations in the game and certain packages,” Watkins said in a press conference on December 21, 2022. “I’m a vet. I’ve been there before to where I had to pick up on stuff pretty quick. I’ll get in the film room with coaches and try to catch up as fast as I can. Whatever they ask me to do, whether I’m playing or not, I should be prepared.”
He has played for Ravens fourth-year offensive coordinator Greg Roman in two different stops with the first coming in 2015 with the Buffalo Bills which also happened to be the most productive season of his career in which he recorded career-highs in receiving yards (1,047) and touchdowns (9) per Pro Football Reference.
“It’s not like we’re getting somebody that’s never been here,” Roman said in a press conference on December 21, 2022. “That’s huge. To get a quality player like him this time of year – it’s almost unheard of.”
In addition to his talent and ability as a pass catcher, Watkins also brings plenty of big game and playoff experience stemming from his time with the Kansas City Chiefs where he helped the Ravens’ conference rivals reach a pair of Superbowls in back-to-back years. His veteran leadership will be an asset to younger players on and off the field.
“It’s great to have a veteran around, and again, it’s great to have Sammy back in the building again, being a great mentor to us – our younger guys,” Huntley said. “It’s just good to have Sammy back.”
Ravens Will Take ‘Committee’ Approach at Returner
As exciting as the reunion with Watkins is for the team, his return coincided with the injury to third-year wide receiver and All-Pro returner, Devin Duvernay, who suffered a broken fifth metatarsal in his foot and was placed on injured reserve.
Coach Harbaugh on Devin Duvernay:
On Wednesday, it was revealed that he had been voted to his second-straight Pro Bowl as a return specialist. While Harbaugh said that there’s a possibility that he could return during this season if the Ravens were to make the Superbowl, they will need to turn to alternative options to return kicks and punts in the meantime.
“We’ll probably roll some guys, and those guys will get opportunities,” Harbaugh said. “It will be a little bit by committee probably. We’ll see how those guys do; they’ve been working hard all year. We trust those guys and expect them to do great.”
The top two inhouse candidates on the active roster that will likely be turned to fill Duvernay’s void on special teams are his fellow third-year wide receiver James Proche who returned 23 punts for 198 yards as a rookie with a long of 20 but hasn’t returned one since and fourth-year running back Justice Hill who has returned 15 career kicks for 275 yards with a long of 46.
“We have guys that will come in and fill that role,” Special Teams Coordinator Chris Horton said in a press conference on December 21, 2022. “The biggest thing for us is just to go out there and execute all 11. I think those plays will take care of themselves.”
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Ravens Rule Out 3 Pro Bowl Starters vs. Falcons