The Baltimore Ravens’ Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots was already bad enough but injuries added another layer of suck to Sunday night’s game. As expected, coach John Harbaugh confirmed tight end Nick Boyle suffered a season-ending knee injury.
At the time, the injury seemed to be serious. Boyle caught a four-yard pass in the third quarter and was immediately hit by a Patriots defender around his knee. The whistle hadn’t even blown the play dead yet and New England players were waiving for Baltimore’s training staff to come out. On the broadcast replay, you could see Boyle’s knee was buckled to the side by the hit — the type of hit that often ends a player’s season prematurely.
It’s tough seeing any type of injury, much less a season-ending one. But Boyle’s injury impacts the Ravens’ offense quite a bit. Already down to two tight ends after trading Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, Baltimore’s offense hasn’t found the same level of success as last season in part because they haven’t been able to use 3-TE sets.
With Boyle now out for the season, the Ravens have just Mark Andrews at the position, with fullback Patrick Ricard able to come in occasionally if necessary. Baltimore will undoubtedly have to turn to free agency or the practice squad to add at least one more tight end to the 53-man roster.
Harbaugh didn’t have an update for either nose tackle Brandon Williams or cornerback Terrell Bonds. He said they should have more information about both players on Monday.
