Pierce, Reid, Leach All Sit Out
The Ravens were without two key pieces of their running game when they took the field for practice Wednesday.
Fullback Vonta Leach (ankle) and running back Bernard Pierce (knee) both sat out after they played the entire game Sunday against the Colts.
Leach has battled through an ankle injury during the second half of the season, but has not missed any games.
Pierce dealt with an ankle injury last week, which kept him to limited participation all week during practice. He was still able to play in Sunday's game and racked up 103 rushing yards in the victory.
It's unknown how serious the injuries to Pierce and Leach are, but Head Coach John Harbaugh told reporters Monday that there were no significant injuries suffered in the Colts game.
"It doesn't look like we have anything major coming out of the game, so that's good news," Harbaugh said.
The other player missing from practice was offensive lineman Jah Reid (toe), who was inactive Sunday with the toe injury.
With Reid inactive, the Ravens put veteran Bryant McKinnie at left tackle, slid Michael Oher to right tackle and moved Kelechi Osemele to left guard. The alignment worked well, as the line gave quarterback Joe Flacco time to throw and he was sacked just once.
Ellerbe Only Limited Participant
Starting inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe was the lone limited participant for the Ravens Wednesday.
Ellerbe sprained his ankle in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game. He returned after getting looked at by the trainers and told reporters after the game that the injury won't put him in jeopardy of missing the divisional-round matchup against Denver.
"The ankle is going to be ready," Ellerbe said. "You're never going to be 100 percent, but my ankle will be good enough to go Sunday."
Ellerbe finished last week's game with nine tackles and one quarterback hit.
He has been dealing with an ankle problem in the second half of the season and missed Weeks 13-15. His return to the lineup has brought a boost to the defense, as he's versatile in coverage and is also a dangerous blitzer.
If Ellerbe weren't able to play this week, the Ravens would likely look to Brendon Ayanbadejo or Josh Bynes to take his spot.
12 Players Listed As Full Participants
For the most part, the Ravens are healthy heading into Saturday's game.
The team had 12 players listed as full participants, including some of the defensive stars who have played through injuries this season.
The full participants were Ray Lewis (triceps), Ed Reed (shoulder), Terrell Suggs (achilles/bicep), Haloti Ngata (knee), Bernard Pollard (chest), Anquan Boldin (shoulder), Marshal Yanda (shoulder), Tandon Doss (ankle), Pernell McPhee (thigh), Albert McClellan (shoulder), Jimmy Smith (abdominal) and Adrian Hamilton (illness).
Part of the good news for the Ravens was that Lewis suffered no setbacks in his return to the lineup after missing 10 games with the torn triceps.
"I feel awesome," Lewis said. "The arm held up incredibly great, so on to the next move."
Broncos Healthy This Week
As the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Broncos are well rested and healthy coming off last week's bye.
They had just one player missing from practice, as cornerback Tracy Porter (concussion) sat out.
Nobody was limited and seven players were listed as full participants.
The full participants were safety Mike Adams (knee), tackles Ryan Clady (shoulder) and Orlando Franklin (knee), wide receivers Trindon Holliday (ankle) and Matt Willis (knee), guard Chris Kuper (ankle) and safety Jim Leonhard (thigh).
