Matt Skura to miss 2-4 weeks with MCL sprain

Baltimore Ravens offensive guard Matt Skura could miss up to a month with an MCL sprain he suffered against the Raiders.

As if the Baltimore Ravens need more injury news, it’s hit them again. And once again, it’s come on the offensive line. Guard Matt Skura went down with the injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Raiders.

Head coach John Harbugh announced today that Skura is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with the injury.

Skura, a second-year offensive lineman, started the last three games before going down. He was replaced by fifth-round rookie Jermaine Eluemunor. The two split snaps at right guard the previous two games.

While Skura could miss up to a month, that’s good news compared to what the Ravens have  been through. Up to this point they lost three interior lineman in Alex Lewis, Nico Siragusa and Marshal Yanda to season-ending injuries.  John Urschel also retired before the start of the season. That’s four starting caliber offensive lineman gone in less than three months.

And still somehow, the offensive line has held up and kept Joe Flacco clean in the pocket. They had their best performance on Sunday against the Raiders and were the major key to victory. Last year’s Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack was held to zero quarterback pressures, the first time that’s happened since Week 17 of the 2014 NFL season, per Pro Football Focus. 

Who’s the replacement?

With Skura out, the two most viable options would be Eluemunor or veteran Tony Bergstrom, who the Ravens acquired via trade before the start of the season. If I had to take a guess, i’d have my money on Eluemunor starting against the Bears this Sunday.

Bergstrom came in and replaced Marshal Yanda in Week 2, but hasn’t been active since. If Harbaugh really was impressed with his play, we’d see Bergstrom start over Skura or Eluemunor, but that hasn’t been the case.

Eluemunor was expected to be more of a development player as a rookie, but is now thrusted into a much bigger role given all of the injuries. Experience is the best teacher for him and he’ll continue to improve with more playing time.

Next: Ravens Report Card: Grading the performance in win over Oakland

At this point, the Ravens are already hanging by a thread and can’t suffer anymore injuries if they want to compete for a playoff spot this season.