Top five things Ravens need to do during bye week: Get Healthy

The Baltimore Ravens are heading into their bye week with a near-perfect record of 5-1 even though they have played far from flawless to achieve it on both sides of the ball but especially on offense as of late.

The stretch run to what they hope will end with an all-expense-paid trip for a chance to play for the franchise’s third championship on the first Sunday in February 2021 won’t be easy.

Here are is one of the top five things they need to do during their week off to give themselves their best chances of getting to Tampa represent the AFC in Superbowl 55:

Get healthy

The number one priority for every team in the league during their bye week is to get as close as they can to getting fully healthy.

The Ravens’ week off couldn’t have come at a better time after they had three players leave Sunday’s game in the first half with injures and did not return in the second and had two of their starting defensive linemen miss the game as well.

Starting veteran running back Mark Ingram limped off the field in the first quarter, returned after getting his ankle re-taped up but left again and didn’t return for the rest of the game.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, an MRI revealed that Ingram was sustained a mid-to-high ankle sprain, but Head Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that he expects Ingram to be ready to roll following the week off.

Baltimore also had starting right guard Tyre Phillips leave the game with a hand injury and top reserve cornerback Anthony Averett went down with a shoulder injury.

Harbaugh said the rookie offensive lineman didn’t sustain any serious damage to his hand but Averett will be headed to injured reserve for the time being after he was diagnosed with a fracture that will keep him out for five to six weeks.

The Ravens were light in the trenches on defense against the Eagles because starting nose tackle Brandon Williams was placed on the Reserved/COVID-19 list on Saturday and starting defensive tackle Derek Wolfe was declared out with a neck injury/concussion that kept him out of two practices last week.

Baltimore has several other starters and key role players dealing with minor and or nagging injuries that have kept them out of games or limited them when they have played.

Veteran defensive back/linebacker and special teams ace Anthony Levine has been dealing with an abdomen injury, stalwart left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been a regular on the injury report with different injuries ranging from his upper body to lower extremities, and veteran cornerback/safety Jimmy Smith has been playing through a knee injury for most of the season.

The bye week will allow the Ravens some time to heal up as well as do some much-needed self-scouting, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

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