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It’s not often in the NFL that a team has a clean bill of health. That is doubly true by midseason, as the grind of each game and the multitude of practices builds up over time, week after week. Nine weeks into the season, almost every player is dealing with some sort of nagging ailment, from a serious knee injury to more general soreness. No one is 100-percent healthy. And yet, in the lead-up to their Week 10 game against the Vikings, that’s exactly what the Baltimore Ravens are looking at. Baltimore had no injuries to report after Wednesday and Thursday’s practices — a monumental feat for any team, but an especially sweet one for the Ravens this season. That’s a blank injury report, something almost unheard of at any point in the season, for any team. The Ravens are 3-5 but have won two straight after losing four straight to fall to 1-5. Health was a major factor in this, as star players and key contributors missed time. Two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson, All-Pro LB Roquan Smith, TE Isaiah Likely, ED Kyle Van Noy, and CB Marlon Humphrey have all been banged up, some missing multiple games. Getting everyone healthy in time for the second half of the season is a major win for the Ravens. The Baltimore Ravens Still Have Key Pieces on Injured Reserve The one asterisk next to the notion that the Ravens are “completely healthy” is that they still have several important players out for an extended time on Injured Reserve (IR) — including some out for the rest of the season. Players on IR don’t require their statuses to be updated with each practice and game designation, until their practice window is opened that is. Critically, All-Pro DT Nnamdi Madubuike is one of the key Ravens players out for the season. He’s a fantastic interior pass rusher and Baltimore’s run defense has suffered mightily in his absence. As much as all the other health across the Ravens’ roster is trending up, Madubuike will remain a major loss for this team. ED Adisa Isaac, CB Robert Longerbeam, CB Bilal Kone, ED Tavius Robinson, WR Dayton Wade, and DT Broderick Washington Jr. are the other Ravens on IR. S Ar’Darius Washington is on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. The Baltimore Ravens Need to Keep Their Momentum Up Against the Vikings All that losing to start the season dug the Ravens in a pretty big hole — yet they aren’t as far out of the playoff picture as they probably should be. Just two games behind the Steelers in the AFC North with half the season still to play, Baltimore has to feel great about its chances to make a run and win the division if they keep up their hot play. But that starts with a win on Sunday over the Vikings, and the Ravens still get to play Pittsburgh twice. After an absolute gauntlet of a schedule to start the season, Baltimore closes out with one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league. There’s an opportunity here for the Ravens to go on a serious run.
