Mitch Stringer- USA TODAY Sports
Heading into this weekend’s contest against the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens come in somewhat healthier than their Week 3 contest against the Houston Texans.
The player who highlighted last week’s injury report for the Ravens, running back Ray Rice, finds himself on the list once again, but has been upgraded to questionable for the strained left hip flexor injury he suffered in Baltimore’s 14-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 2.
Rice remains a game-time decision for Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, but it appears likely that the six-year veteran will at least garner some carries against the Bills. I don’t expect Rice to receive the same workload he is accustomed to, but expect No. 27 to receive more reps on passing downs for Baltimore.
Other names that round out that the injury report for Baltimore include defensive tackle Brandon Williams, wide receiver Deonte Thompson, defensive lineman Chris Canty, linebacker Arthur Brown, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, Brandon Stokley and running back Shaun Draughn are all listed as questionable. Defensive lineman Terrence Cody is listed as doubtful with a knee injury and wide receiver Marlon Brown is probable.
Buffalo’s injury report is highlighted by three injuries in the back end of their defense as safety Jairus Bryd and cornerback Leodis McKelvin are both game-time decisions and listed as questionable. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore will not play this week for Buffalo.
The Ravens may look to rest some of these players or at least use them sparingly as a tougher test in the Miami Dolphins is in front of them in Week 5. If there was one guy who I wanted to see the Ravens utilize a little more this week, it would be Thompson.
Thompson could potentially fill the void that Jacoby Jones left after Week 1 when he suffered an MCL injury. Both possess a similar skill-set and it wouldn’t surprise me if Thompson garners a few more reps than Jones once both return healthy to the lineup as Jones may be reduced to more return reps than anything. This is a good game to get Thompson’s feet wet and build his confidence as the Bills come in short-handed in the secondary. We’ll see what the Ravens decide to do as they determine whether or not they need his services.
Jeffrey Kryglik is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter at Jeff_Kryglik, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
