Ravens: 4 players who must step up in light of COVID-19 absences
By Justin Fried
The Baltimore Ravens were riding a wave of momentum following a thrilling 36-35 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football earlier this week.
But that momentum came to an abrupt halt on Friday when it was revealed that a number of Ravens players will be forced to miss this Sunday’s game after landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Suddenly, the Ravens will now face a Detroit Lions team hungry for their first victory of the season all with a significantly depleted front-seven.
Outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson is the only confirmed player to have tested positive, although others such as Justin Houston, Brandon Williams, and Justin Madubuike have all landed on the COVID-19 list as well.
This means that they are either unvaccinated and were deemed high-risk close contacts or that they tested positive themselves. Either way, none of the four players will be playing in this week’s game.
Suddenly, the Ravens are uber thin at both outside linebacker and along the defensive line. That’s especially true with veteran Derek Wolfe sidelined with a back injury and the likes of Pernell McPhee and Daelin Hayes listed as questionable.
The Ravens will surely make a few roster moves over the next 24 hours with two expected practice-squad promotions coming with defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie and outside linebacker Chris Smith.
Apart from those two, we take a look at four players who will need to step up in Week 3 with a number of key players sidelined.