PLAYER NOTES
–QB Joe Flacco (hip) missed his fourth straight practice on Wednesday. However, head coach John Harbaugh said earlier in the week that Flacco could play against the Raiders. “It’s just a matter of how fast the healing takes place in there,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not a surgical thing; it’s just a calming-down type of a thing with the hip, and I’m not a doctor. They have that commercial with the TV doctors. I’m not even a TV doctor, so we’ll see.” If Flacco is inactive, Lamar Jackson will get his second career start. Flacco missed his first game of the season Week 11 against the Bengals because of the injured hip.
–LT Ronnie Stanley was able to practice Wednesday despite leaving the previous game several times with a high-ankle sprain. Stanley was limited in practice the prior week after missing the previous game against the Steelers in Week 9. He should be available against the Raiders.
–CB Tavon Young was held out of practice Wednesday. Young was back in the lineup Week 11 against the Bengals after missing the previous game with an ankle injury. Young missed all of last season with a knee injury.
–RB Kenneth Dixon (knee) was back at practice as an injured reserve player eligible to return to the team. However, the Ravens already have four running backs on the active roster. As a result, it might be difficult to find space for Dixon, who missed all of last season with a knee injury and suspension.
–RT James Hurst (back) is still not able to practice after missing four consecutive games. Hurst is a valuable lineman capable of playing multiple positions. It appears he will not be ready to return against the Raiders.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Gus Edwards. The undrafted rookie from Rutgers was promoted from the practice squad on Oct. 13 when running back De’Lance Turner was placed on injured reserve. Edwards had a breakout game against the Bengals, finishing with 115 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. He could get an opportunity to start Week 12 against the Raiders.
GAME PLAN: Rookie Lamar Jackson made his first start Week 11 against the Bengals. He ran the ball 27 times for 117 yards — a franchise record for a quarterback. The 27 carries were also the most by any quarterback since 1960. Head coach John Harbaugh doesn’t expect Jackson to carry the ball so many times moving forward. As a result, Jackson will look to throw the ball more downfield. In the previous game, he completed 13 of 19 mostly intermediate passes for 150 yards with an interception (70.1 passer rating). Oakland will stack the box and force him to throw. Jackson will have the opportunity to show he can be an effective pocket-passer. Still, the Ravens will look to set the tone with their running attack.
The bye week appeared to rejuvenate Baltimore, which regained its No. 1 ranking for overall defense. The Ravens will look to force turnovers and provide Jackson with a short field to get the offense going. Baltimore’s cornerbacks — Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, Brandon Carr and Tavon Young — played well against the Bengals. Those four players can have a repeat performance against an Oakland passing offense that is ranked 17th with 245 yards per game.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Ravens LB Terrell Suggs vs. Raiders QB Derek Carr. Carr is having a tough season, but he doesn’t have many targets. He suffered another setback when WR Brandon LaFell tore an Achilles’ tendon against Arizona and was placed on injured reserve. Carr has also endured 34 sacks, tied for fourth most in the league. The veteran Suggs has a team-high four of the Ravens’ 29 sacks and he will keep constant pressure on Carr. Baltimore cannot afford to get into a shootout.
–Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and RBs vs. Raiderw DL. The Ravens will emphasize running the ball with Jackson at quarterback. Baltimore ran for 265 yards on 54 carries last week against the Bengals’ 32nd-ranked run defense. Oakland is not much better and is ranked 31st against the run. The Ravens will look to exploit that weakness. In addition to Jackson, the Ravens have four running backs — Gus Edwards, Javorius Allen, Ty Montgomery and Alex Collins — that are capable of picking up yards. Baltimore will look to wear down the Raiders’ front seven by continuously attacking them.
