The Baltimore Ravens finished the season off on a strong note, winning 12 consecutive games and locking up the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture. But in Week 16, Baltimore got a scare of the only thing seemingly capable of beating them: injuries.
Running back Mark Ingram suffered the only major injury — a calf strain that was going to force him to miss some time. The was hope the Ravens would get Ingram back in time for their divisional round playoff game.
And by resting Ingram and several starters in Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore put themselves on the right path. Coach John Harbaugh said Ingram is on schedule.
Harbaugh noted Ingram had a “running workout” earlier in the week. That’s a good sign considering Ingram had left Week 16’s game in a walking boot.
While Gus Edwards had a stellar game in Ingram’s stead — 130 rushing yards on 21 attempts against the Steelers — it’ll be nice to have the full running back stable available for the really important games.
Baltimore, led by quarterback Lamar Jackson and Ingram, set a new NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single season. They’ve become to first pair of Ravens to go over 1,000 rushing yards in a season and have battered opponents on the ground as the largest part of Baltimore’s league-leading offensive attack.
The Ravens will face one of three potential teams in the divisional round, depending on how the wild-card round shakes out. They’ll face the lowest remaining seed, meaning they’ll take on the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans or Tennessee Titans next week.
