Michael Pierce news was expected but it still hurts for the Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens were bracing for the worst when Michael Pierce went down in Week 3, and now it appears he’ll be out for the rest of the season.

On Sunday, Pierce suffered a “significant” injury, tearing his bicep against the New England Patriots in the first half of the game. The nose tackle has since decided to undergo season-ending surgery rather than play through the injury, which means Baltimore will be without a key defensive line starter for the rest of the year.

In Pierce’s place, practice squad player Isaiah Mack may take rotational snaps, and the Ravens can also expect more usage from reliable backup Broderick Washington and rookie Travis Jones.

Baltimore’s defensive line had been performing well as of late, with Justin Madubuike, in particular, standing stout against the run, and the Pierce news deals a brutal blow to a unit of strength for the Ravens in 2022.

Ravens have to find a long-term solution after losing Michael Pierce

The Ravens’ defense has already suffered multiple losses early this season, but it’s nothing compared to their 2021 injury plague.

Baltimore will need to keep tabs on outside linebacker Justin Houston and offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, among others. Losing Mekari would be the worst possible scenario; the Ravens recently signed Jason Pierre-Paul to potentially take some of Houston’s snaps if need be.

Heading into Week 4, the Ravens seemingly have bounced back from that fourth-quarter collapse against the Miami Dolphins, yet the team will need to play a near-perfect game against the Super Bowl-contending Buffalo Bills this Sunday.

We would expect Broderick Washington to fill in for Pierce for now, and hopefully Madubuike and Campbell can keep the interior defense elite as Washington grows into the starting role.

The Ravens are enjoying a strong start to the season so far and need all the momentum they can get in Week 4 against the mighty Bills.