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Haloti Ngata Has Yet To Recover From Nagging Injuries

By Samuel Njoku

The Ravens were the most banged up team in the NFL heading towards the bye. Along with losing Webb and Lewis for the season, many players throughout the roster suffered from nagging injuries. But with a week of rest,  players are healthy and ready to go against Houston.

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Baltimore was fined $20,000 after the league determined they were keeping Ed Reed's injury away from the weekly reports. The Ravens responded by listing 19 players on this week's injury report. Most of the injuries are minor and won't affect the players on gameday. But Harbaugh isn't taking any chances with the league.

Pernell McPhee, DE, (thigh): Out

Pernell McPhee didn't practice all week and has been subsequently ruled out for Sunday's game against the Browns. The defensive end has been hampered by injuries all season. After a strong rookie campaign, many expected McPhee to have a breakout season. But with injuries to his knees during the offseason, it looks like he has lost some explosion off the line of scrimmage.

With McPhee out, look for Arthur Jones to get the start at DE. Stopping the run is a major area of concern for the Ravens heading into this game. The loss of McPhee won't help matters.

Haloti Ngata, DT, (shoulder): Questionable

Ngata has been severely hampered by a shoulder injury that has plagued him all season. Haloti Ngata has also been dealing with an MCL strain that he suffered a few weeks back. The defensive front of the Baltimore Ravens is seriously banged up. Ngata played a little over half of the snaps in the game against Houston. If Ngata plays at all, expect him to play a similar percentage of snaps.

The Ravens haven't had many things to be impressed about on the defensive side of the ball. But Haloti Ngata is definitely one of them. He leads the team with 3 sacks. He also has accumulated 32 tackles on the year. But with just 2 tackles in the game against Houston, it's evident that the injuries he has suffered will slow down his production.

Terrell Suggs, DE/LB, (ankle): Probable

The freak known simply as "T-sizzle" fully participated in practice this week and is expected to play against Cleveland. After tearing his Achilles tendon in the offseason, many wondered if Suggs would play at all this year. But he's defied the odds and will be in action on Sunday. How effective he will be depends on 2 factors. One factor is whether or not his tendon is strong enough to give Suggs the explosion he's accustomed to getting off the line of scrimmage.

The other factor is the health of Haloti Ngata. Without him, Cleveland may double or even triple team Suggs to nullify his pass rushing ability. It'll be interesting to see how Suggs holds up against their gameplan on Sunday.

For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Ravens news, see CBS Sports Baltimore.

Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. He can be reached for comments at SamuelN870@gmail.com. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.

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