Subscribe
Follow Us
T.J. Watt’s injury status has the watchful eye of the Baltimore Ravens, and Marlon Humphrey wants his team to be fully ready for the rival Steelers. But injuries for the Ravens may play a role with Rashod Bateman’s questionable status amid an injury-plagued wide receiver room causing concern.
Two Ravens receivers are hurt, according to a post on X by Adam Schefter.
“Ravens ruled out WR Diontae Johnson and list Rashod Bateman as questionable.”
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman may be missing
Bateman hasn’t caught a ton of passes this season, with 38 receptions for 654 yards. But his yardage total is OK and he has seven receiving touchdowns.
Bateman is one of several Ravens who are questionable for the key AFC North game against the Steelers. Harbaugh remained fairly confident, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“We'll be in good shape and be ready to roll on (Saturday),” Harbaugh said.
Bateman has been an important weapon for the Ravens, leading the NFL in separation percentage (75.1), according to Pro Football Focus via baltimoreravens.com. Also, his 17.2 yards-per-catch average is among the league leaders. Bateman's four touchdowns on deep targets (20-plus yards) are tied for second most in the NFL.
A healthy Ravens team is no bargain for the rest of the AFC, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
“I think folks are concerned about the Ravens, especially if they win Saturday against the Steelers and can chase them down for the division title,” Graziano wrote. “He might be trailing Josh Allen in the MVP race, but Lamar Jackson is playing the best football of his career this season. And some of the people I talk to think the Baltimore defense has the ability to play better than it has shown. If they're right — and if Derrick Henry is still fresh and running hard once the postseason begins — I don't think anyone's going to want to play Baltimore, even if they don't look as dominant as they did this time last year.”
It's a rivalry and that matters
The Ravens know the Steelers won’t be one of the teams shying away as this is a tough rivalry. Harbaugh said it’s a challenge, according to steelers.com.
“We're heading into the challenge this Saturday against Pittsburgh,” said Harbaugh. “A very important game for a lot of reasons, and we're going to need to be at our very best. They're an excellent football team. We're ready for the challenge.”
The short week plays a role, too, Harbaugh said.
“It's a challenge for both teams,” he said. “We're both playing on the same deal. We both played Sunday, and we're playing each other on Saturday, so that's just it. You adjust the schedule. It's a little shorter game-planning type of an operation than you would have, but we play each other enough where I don't think that's a problem for either team.”
