2010 NFL Playoff Contenders Injury Report: Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a serious contender for the Super Bowl championship, but they have had several injuries that have made the Raven's coaching staff adjust their game planning to account for the injured players absence. The six players the Raven's have lost include three offensive and three defensive players.

The Ravens have lost six players who were placed on the injured reserve list and won't be available for the rest of the season. The offensive players the Raven's have lost are: Jared Gaither--offensive tackle, Ramon Harewood--Offensive lineman, and Daniel Sanders--center. The defensive players lost for the season are: Dominique Foxworth--cornerback, Kelly Talavou--nose tackle, and Marcus Paschal--safety.

The Ravens are lucky in one regard: none of the players placed on the injured reserve list are skill position players. However, the Ravens rely on a strong defense to win games so the loss of Kelly Talavou made the Ravens search for a replacement at nose tackle to provide depth at the position. The Ravens still remain a defensive force and can still dominate most teams with their defensive line.

Their recent loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers might have revealed a weakness on their offensive line, though, because the Ravens were unable to move the ball effectively against the Steelers. The Steelers are a formidable opponent it should be noted and most teams struggle against the Steelers offensively. The Ravens might meet the Steelers in the playoffs and need to find a solution to the Steelers pressure defense. The Steelers have also lost two offensive linemen to the inured reserve list this year so each of the teams has had to adjust offensive play-calling to account for the loss of experienced offensive linemen.

In the December 5th game versus the Steelers the Ravens were unable to run the ball effectively struggling to gain 43 yards on twenty rushing attempts...as a result of the difficulty rushing they only had the ball for 25:52 compared to the Steelers 34:08. The Ravens ended up losing the game when the Steelers blitzed on a pass attempt by Joe Flacco in the closing minutes of the game...with an effective running game the Ravens wouldn't have had to pass the ball to move the ball down field. The forced fumble deep in Baltimore territory led to the winning touchdown by Pittsburgh.

Even with the injuries the Ravens played the Steelers close and lost by just a field goal in the week 13 game.

Resources:
www.NFL.com
www.espn.go.com
www.newsday.sportsdirectinc.com

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