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After two wins in a row, the Ravens will face their toughest test of the season thus far in the Chiefs. Once again, the Ravens are healthy and don’t have any concerning injuries heading into Sunday’s game.
This Friday’s practice only had five players absent from the field. Here are the players that missed today’s practice:
Ravens had five players absent from Friday's practice:
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 20, 2019
WR Hollywood Brown (foot)
CB Jimmy Smith (knee)
CB Brandon Carr
S Brynden Trawick (elbow)
LB Pernell McPhee (likely vet day)
Jimmy Smith will most likely be ruled out for Sunday’s matchup. His recovery from the MCL sprain is improving, but he hasn't begun running yet.
For the past few weeks, WR Marquise Brown has been purposely held out of Friday practices to give him more time to heal his foot. The official injury report for the Ravens this Sunday has yet to be released, but expect to see Brown with a “questionable” designation.
With the Chiefs, multiple key players will not be playing on Sunday.
Eric Fisher, Tyreek Hill and Damien Williams will not play on Sunday against the Ravens, per Andy Reid.
— BJ Kissel (@ChiefsReporter) September 20, 2019
The absence of Patrick Mahomes’ blind side protector, Eric Fisher, will most definitely impact the outcome of the game. Fisher has established himself as one of the marquee tackles in the NFL. The Ravens pass rush now has an even greater opportunity to pressure Mahomes and make him uncomfortable. In Fisher’s place, Cameron Erving will start at LT.
The absence of Tyreek Hill will give Ravens fans (as well as players) a sigh of relief. After last season’s game when Hill caught a fourth-down heave from Mahomes to get a fresh set of downs and eventually win the game, the Ravens will do their best to take advantage of Hill’s absence. The Chiefs still have great wide receiver talent despite Hill not being on the field, but Hill’s absence means that there is one less game-breaking player to worry about.
Damien Williams’ absence will allow for the Ravens’ defensive line to be even more impactful. With the aging and ailing LeSean McCoy set to start in Williams’ place, the Ravens defense will force Mahomes to throw the ball many times, assuming they stop McCoy in the run game.
With the Ravens being on the healthier side and the Chiefs missing game-changing players, the Ravens will have a tremendous opportunity to exploit the Chiefs’ absences. The Ravens will look for three wins in a row this Sunday at 1:00 PM.