PLAYER NOTES
–QB Joe Flacco (hip) was a full participant in practice Wednesday, but he will not make the start against Tampa Bay. Instead, Lamar Jackson will remain the starter and Flacco will serve as his backup. Flacco has missed the past four games, and Jackson has gone 3-1 in his absence. “I can’t say I was surprised,” Flacco said about losing his starting job to an injury. “Anything can happen in this league and we’re right in the middle of a playoff run.”
–T Jake Rodgers was signed to the Ravens practice squad. He is a former seventh-round pick by the Falcons. Rodgers has also played with the Falcons, Giants, Panthers, Steelers, Chargers and Texans.
–S Tony Jefferson (ankle) could not practice Wednesday. He was inactive for the second straight game after initially suffering the injury in Week 12 against the Raiders. Jefferson has been replaced by Chuck Clark in the starting lineup. Clark had the Ravens’ first interception in seven games against Kansas City.
–LG Alex Lewis (shoulder) was limited in practice Wednesday after he was inactive in Week 14 against the Chiefs. The third-year player has battled through injuries over his three-year career. Lewis suffered a stinger in Week 12 against the Raiders, but was able to return.
–DE/FB Patrick Ricard has the support of his teammates after several racist and homophobic slurs that he posted on Twitter from 2011-12 resurfaced. He was a healthy scratch Week 14 against the Chiefs and his status moving forward is uncertain. “We’re going to stand behind him. It’s a brotherhood here,” defensive end Michael Pierce said.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: QB Joe Flacco. The veteran quarterback will be active Sunday, but not make the start. Flacco has not appeared in a game since injuring his right hip on Nov. 4. Rookie first-round pick Lamar Jackson has gone 3-1 in Flacco’s absence and helped revitalize the offense. Flacco has thrown for 2,465 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. However, he could get opportunities to make plays against Tampa Bay.
GAME PLAN: The Ravens running attack has risen from 22nd to fourth in the league in the past four weeks with Lamar Jackson as the starter. Jackson led the Ravens to victories over the Bengals, Raiders and Falcons before an overtime loss to Kansas City last week. The Ravens showed their grinding, ball-control offense can work against high-powered teams. As a result, Baltimore will look to set the tone by running the ball once again against Tampa Bay, which allows 119.4 yards rushing per game. Tampa Bay does have a revamped pass rush with nine sacks in the last five games.
The Ravens will have to contend with a top-tier offense for the second straight week. The Buccaneers are ranked second in the league with 437.5 yards per game. The Buccaneers own the league’s top pass offense so the Ravens secondary will have to avoid some of the big plays that have hampered them this season. However, Tampa Bay has struggled to protect the ball and are ranked 31st with a minus-17 turnover differential. The Buccaneers have not gotten much from their running attack — ranked 27th with 98.1 yards per game — so that also plays to the Ravens favor.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Ravens secondary vs. Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston and WR Mike Evans. Winston is having an uneven season, but he is still capable of making plays downfield. He has thrown for 2,154 with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Backup Ryan Fitzpatrick has even better stats with 2,366 yards, 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Evans is a favorite target and he is ranked sixth in the NFL with 1,207 receiving yards with five touchdowns. The Ravens have solid cornerbacks with Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Carr. They are capable of shutting down Tampa Bay’s passing attack. Safeties Eric Weddle, Chuck Carr and perhaps Tony Jefferson, if he is available to play, will be provide support.
–Ravens RBs Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon vs. Buccaneers DL. The Ravens have run for more than 200 yards in three of the last four games. Edwards has taken over the starting role and had two consecutive 100-yard performances before finishing with 82 yards against the Falcons and 67 yards against the Chiefs. Dixon, who was activated from injured reserve two weeks ago, has also been a boost and he finished with 59 yards on eight carries with a touchdown against the Chiefs. The Buccaneers are allowing 119.2 yards rushing per game. Linebacker Lavonte David leads Tampa Bay with 93 tackles.
