The Baltimore Ravens are trying to avoid a 1-5 record this week against a formidable opponent in the Los Angeles Rams. They will have to do so without some of their best players available.
They have six players ruled out and one questionable for Sunday’s game, the Ravens announced on X.
The following players will be unavailable:
– QB Lamar Jackson
– CB Chidobe Awuzie
– OT Emery Jones Jr. (DTR-IR)
– FB Patrick Ricard
– ILB Roquan Smith
– WR Devontez Walker
Along with those six players, WR Zay Flowers is questionable after being limited all week with a shoulder injury. They also have a few notable players already on IR with Asida Isaac, Bilhal Kone, Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington Jr. unavailable.
To put it short, the team is a walking MASH unit with a 1-4 record. If they fall to 1-5 entering the bye week, their season is as good as over. While not impossible, very few teams have ever made it to the playoffs with a 1-5 record. The 2012 Commanders, 2015 Chiefs and 2018 Colts are the only three teams to make the playoffs after a 1-5 start since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. It’s more possible now than ever with seven teams making the playoffs in each conference rather than six, but it still hasn’t been done since the expansion of the playoffs in 2021.
Jackson can carry the team through a lot of issues as a two-time NFL MVP, but they weren’t playing particularly well even when he and the defense were healthy. They have an uphill battle with the second-worst defense in the league at 408.8 yards and 35.4 points per game allowed.
The Steelers seemingly had the division locked up entering the final month of the 2024 season before a total collapse, but things were never quite this bad in Baltimore. You almost have to feel sorry for their misfortunes this year. Almost.
