John Harbaugh eases Ravens fans' worries with positive update on key injuries

The key to the Baltimore Ravens’ 2025 comeback has been leadership. Once a team entering their bye week at 1-5 has become a group threatening to make the playoffs.

The Ravens are one game out of first place in the AFC North and, in turn, the fourth seed in the AFC playoff picture. If they win out, they will clinch a playoff berth, but winning out will not come easily. They have one of the toughest schedules remaining.

Entering their Week 16 matchup with the New England Patriots, Baltimore faces one of the best teams they have seen all year. Sure, New England has had a very easy schedule, but they have proven themselves as one of the NFL’s best week in and week out.

Given the circumstances, the Ravens need all hands on deck. Unfortunately, in Wednesday’s practice, many of the team’s leaders and key contributors were missing. That included quarterback Lamar Jackson, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, linebacker Roquan Smith, outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

Head Coach John Harbaugh shared a positive update on Stanley and Smith during his press conference that day, though. He also provided some context surrounding Jackson’s illness.

“It’s kind of a rest thing,” Harbaugh said. “The guys are dealing with different things from the game. [Stanley and Smith] were held back today. Expect those guys out there tomorrow…Lamar had an illness. He was kept home with a flu deal.”

John Harbaugh provides encouraging update on Ravens’ stars

In a game of Week 16’s magnitude, the Ravens obviously need Stanley and Smith ready to go. In last Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Smith played every defensive snap, while Stanley left the game with what appeared to be an extremely painful leg injury. He would return later in the contest, though.

Baltimore cannot deal with another loss at linebacker ahead of their showdown with the Patriots. They lost rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, putting underwhelming third-year pro Trenton Simpson back in line to start next to Smith.

For Stanley, the Ravens need his stability on a terrible offensive line. On Wednesday, center Tyler Linderbaum talked about the challenging task of going up against New England’s front-seven, and that task would be all the more troubling if Stanley were not able to suit up. Assuming he returns, he should draw a matchup with outside linebacker Harold Landry III, who has 8.5 sacks in 2025.

Thankfully, it sounds like both of the stars will be back in the coming days. They should be more than ready to play by the time Sunday Night Football rolls around.