Marshall Yanda Should Play Against Raiders
By Samuel Njoku
Baltimore plays in M&T Bank Stadium for the first time in nearly a month on Sunday. The Ravens haven’t played in Baltimore since losing both Webb and Lewis for the season. Fans will get a chance to see the new unit in action against a Raiders team that is still clinging on to their playoff hopes. Both teams will enter this game a tad banged up.
Pernell McPhee, DE, (thigh): Out
McPhee is still dealing with a thigh injury he suffered in the game against the Texans a few weeks back. He hasn’t practiced all week and has been ruled out of Sunday’s game. Pernell has struggled most of the season with lingering injuries and it has severely hampered his productivity. The Ravens will be cautious with McPhee as they look to get more out of him in the later part of the season.
Arthur Jones will most likely start in his place. Jones is known more for a run stopping lineman than anything else. This injury will hamper the Ravens pass rush quite a bit.
Haloti Ngata, DT, (shoulder): Questionable
For the second straight week, Ngata is listed as questionable for gameday. Haloti has suffered injuries to his knees and shoulder that has all but nullified his productivity on the defensive front. Last Sunday, Ngata didn’t even register a tackle in the game against Cleveland. Early in the season, Ngata was considered by many to be an early Defensive Player of the Year candidate. But that has all but slipped away from the Pro Bowl lineman as injuries have set him back.
The Ravens may be better served actually sitting Ngata and getting him ready for the game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Either way, the Ravens will limit his snaps on the field if they decide to play him on Sunday.
Bobbie Williams and Marshall Yanda both Questionable
Both Williams and Yanda are dealing with ankle injuries and are listed as questionable for their game on Sunday. The Ravens main concerns this season has been the productivity of the offensive line. They simply haven’t been giving Flacco much time in the pocket. One good sign was that both Yanda and Williams participated in practice on Friday after missing the last 2 sessions.
Yanda, who may be their best lineman, told reporters on Friday that he should be good to go for Sunday’s game.
“I just had to get a flow of things and tempo and do it that way, and I'll be good to go,” stated Yanda.
Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson ruled out for Sunday
The Ravens have been hit with the injury bug pretty bad this season. The Raiders backfield must have caught the same bug. Both McFadden (ankle) and Goodson (ankle) have been ruled out of Sunday’s game. The Ravens may have caught a break as the defense has struggled stopping the run this season. Look for Taiwan Jones to get a good amount of carries in place of the injured McFadden.
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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.
