Kevin Zeitler has worked his entire career to get to the Super Bowl. He finally got his first playoff win this past Saturday against the Houston Texans. Unfortunately, he got injured at the very worst time, and now the Baltimore Ravens have serious questions for the AFC Championship.
Could the Baltimore Ravens sit Kevin Zeitler due to his injury in the AFC Championship?
Zeitler hurt his knee in the week 16 win over the San Francisco 49ers. After missing weeks 17, 18, and the bye week, he came back after a three-week resting period. Unfortunately, he did not look good on his return and ended up giving up a sack and two pressures.
He also left the game late, re-injuring the knee that held him out for three weeks. Now, he is missing practice with that knee injury. It gives the Baltimore Ravens a tough question.
Zeitler is probably going to push to play. It would be hard to see him miss this game. However, he will not be in full health in any way, and he will not be at his best physical performance. On the flip side, Ben Cleveland is fresh and healthy.
He is not as good as Zeitler on Zeitler’s best day, but today, he may be a better bet. He has been able to get some work in the past couple of weeks due to Zeitler's injury, and that has allowed him to show that he has grown this season. He also got limited playoff experience last week, so this would not be entirely new to him.
It is a luxury for the Ravens to have someone like Cleveland, who they would trust to start in such a big game, on their bench. However, while it is a gift, the curse is that they have to debate between the injured Zeitler and the healthy Cleveland, knowing that the decision could cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. Which player starts?