The Ravens will travel to Charlotte this weekend to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Following Sunday’s loss to the Saints, the Ravens are in need of a rebound to keep themselves in playoff position. While this midseason game is crucial, the Ravens will have to play without key players. Today, the Ravens announced the injury report ahead of the game. Included were two players ruled out, one listed as doubtful, and four listed as questionable. The two players that will not play on Sunday are second-year cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and tackle/guard James Hurst. Both starters are vital to the efforts of the team.
Humphrey and Hurst will sit on the sidelines for the second week in a row this Sunday. In response to the injuries last week, the Ravens started Brandon Carr next to Jimmy Smith in place of Humphrey, and Orlando Brown at right tackle to relieve James Hurst. The Baltimore Ravens will likely continue this contingency plan. But while Humphrey and Hurst are already declared out, there is another Raven who is unlikely to play. Guard Alex Lewis, who is still recovering from a neck injury scare against the Tennessee Titans, was listed as doubtful for Sunday. The Baltimore Ravens are taking no risks with the young interior lineman, and would likely play rookie Bradley Bozeman again at left guard. However, Bozeman is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, along with three other players.
The four players questionable to play on Sunday are guard/center Bradley Bozeman, cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Anthony Averett, and safety Anthony Levine Sr. The Ravens will hope all four of these players are able to suit up on Sunday, especially Jimmy Smith. Smith is a key part of the Ravens secondary, which is short on depth with the recent injuries. Things look good for the secondary, however, as all three listed as doubtful fully participated in practice on Friday. Bozeman is the least likely to play out of all four players, as he has been dealing with a calf injury since Sunday’s game against the Saints. He was limited in practice on Friday.
