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Injury Report: Ravens Set For Final Showdown of NFL Season

By Samuel Njoku

Fifteen games down and one to go for the Baltimore Ravens. A season filled with so much promise is reaching its final chapter. The Cincinnati Bengals, their next opponent, have dreams far beyond the reach of Baltimore this season. They wish to hold the Vince Lombardi trophy, something the Ravens have done twice. Securing a first round bye would go a long way towards achieving that feat. The Ravens wish to spoil their division rival's plans by picking up the upset on Tuesday. For that to happen, they'll have to hope their team is healthy enough to take the field.

Marlon Brown has missed significant time due to a back injury. Baltimore kept him around in hopes of getting him on the field and taking one last look at his abilities before making their season ending assessment. Unfortunately, the Ravens will be unable to get that last bit of information. Baltimore placed Marlon Brown on IR, which effectively ends his season. Considering Brown hasn't practiced since November, the move comes as no surprise. The roster move also moves the Ravens up to a league high with 20 players on IR. The New York Giants are second in the league with 18. It's been a rough year for the Ravens in the health department.

Unlike Brown, Albert McClellan is still on the roster. But the likelihood of him playing on Sunday isn't much higher than that of the former Georgia bulldog. McClellan is dealing with an ankle injury that has kept him out of the past two games. He did practice, albeit on a limited basis this week, so he will likely be a gametime decision. But considering the way things have gone for him since injuring the ankle, Baltimore may play it safe and inactivate him for the season finale.

Elvis Dumervil and Daryl Smith missed practice time this week, but that has little to do with any injury concerns. Ravens' Head Coach John Harbaugh routinely gives his veterans a day or two off, especially starters that are a little long in the tooth. It's a tactic used to reserve a majority of the players' energy for game day. Players on the roster appreciate the gesture, and it usually goes a long way in getting the team to fight a little bit harder. With the way the season has gone, every bit helps.

The only other player on the injury report is FB Kyle Juszczyk. He dealt with an illness earlier this week that kept him out of Wednesday's practice. That's huge for a couple of reasons: First, Juszczyk is the only full back on the roster. Secondly, he's had a great season, most notably in the passing game. He's hit it off with almost every quarterback that has gone under center for Baltimore. Luckily for the Ravens, he returned to practice on Thursday and has been a full participant since then. He'll definitely be on the field on Sunday.

Probable:
Elvis Dumervil, LB, (Non-Injury Related)
Kyle Juszczyk, FB (illness)
Daryl Smith, LB (Non-Injury Related)

Questionable:
Albert McClellan, LB (ankle)

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. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.

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