While the Baltimore Ravens managed to escape a game without having a single player suffer a season-ending injury, they still left their Week 4 matchup that resulted in a 23-20 defeat a little banged up.
The most significant of their minor injuries were sustained by starting wide receiver Rashod Bateman who is dealing with a foot injury. The 2021 first-round pick is considered “day-to-day” after playing a season-low 44 percent of the total offensive snaps against the Buffalo Bills.
He went to the blue medical tent after being tackled following a catch in the second half. Even though he didn’t go to the locker room and came back out with his helmet on the sideline, Bateman didn’t take the field for most of the team’s final few drives. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like it will be a significant setback.
“I don’t think it’s serious, but we’re going to have to see. He told me today that he’s kind of day-to-day, so we’ll see how it goes,” Harbaugh said in a press conference on October 3, 2022.
“He was in and out over the course of the last couple drives there, and trying to play through and get on the field. Right there at the end, he just wasn’t up for it.”
The second-year wideout is the Ravens’ No. 1 at his position and ranks second on the team in receiving yards with 243 on 11 receptions. He already has scored a pair of touchdowns over 50 yards and ranks second in the entire league in yards per reception with an average of 22.1.
Justice Hill’s Hamstring Injury Is Not Major
Another player that went down with a lower-leg injury late in the game and didn’t return was running back Justice Hill. The fourth-year pro had just ripped off chunk plays of 10, 12, and 14 yards on the Ravens’ final drive of the game but on his last carry, pulled a hamstring making a cut and still managed to hobble for a couple of extra yards.
Justice Hill suffered a leg injury 3 yards into this run, THEN HOPPED AND LIMPED FOR 12 MORE 👑
It looked a little scary when he initially went down and while he avoided a major injury, Hill could and will likely still miss some time.
“I think we dodged a bullet on that. It’s not a serious hamstring,” Harbaugh said. “That doesn’t mean he won’t be out for a little bit, but it’s not going to be one of those long-term hamstrings, they say.”
Hill has been the Ravens’ most impressive player at the position so far this season and appeared to be getting better each week with the way he looked, played, and produced. According to Pro Football Reference, he ranks second on the team in rushing behind quarterback Lamar Jackson with 125 yards and is averaging an impressive 6.6 yards per carry which would rank fourth in the league among players if he averaged at least 6.25 carries per game.
Gus Edwards To Return To Practice
While the Ravens could be without one of their top running backs for a few weeks, they could be getting another back soon after Harbaugh announced that the fifth-year pro is set to return to practice this week. It will mark the first time he’s taken the field for football activities since suffering a torn ACL that ended his 2021 season before it even began.
The former undrafted gem opened the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list which meant he had to sit out at least the first four games of the season. This is the first step on his way to returning to action but he shouldn’t be expected to play anytime soon. J.K. Dobbins suffered the same injury around the same time as Edwards last year and had practiced for over a month before he made his 2022 debut in Week 3.
Edwards is one of the best power backs and most underrated overall players at his position in the entire league. He averages 5.2 yards per carry for his career and recorded over 700 yards rushing in each of his first three seasons before missing all of last year. His return would be a welcomed addition to a Ravens’ rushing attack that has improved in each of the last two weeks.
Tyus Bowser Ready To Practice, But Not Play Right Away
The sixth-year veteran outside linebacker is another player that is returning from a season-ending injury and opened the year on the PUP list. Even though he is eligible to return to action for the team’s big Week 5 AFC North divisional matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, Harbaugh said the team isn’t expecting to have him available this week.
He also said that Bowser is “really close” and could return to practice to some degree this week as well if he’s feeling up to it.
“It’s really in Tyus’ court. We’ll see,” Harbaugh said.
Bowser was the Ravens’ sack leader in 2021 with a career-high seven before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the regular season finale. He also recorded career-highs in total tackles (59), tackles for loss (eight), quarterback hits (15), and forced fumbles (two) and is one of the best coverage linebackers in the league when healthy.
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John Harbaugh Gives Injury Update on Ravens WR1 Rashod Bateman