The Ravens did have at least some positive injury developments Friday.
Mark Andrews was a full practice participant for the first time in two weeks. While he's still listed as questionable to play, it's a positive sign that he's heading in the right direction ahead of Sunday's AFC North rivalry game in Cincinnati.
When speaking to the media Thursday, Andrews said he would play “God willing” against the Bengals but didn't make any definitive statements.
The Ravens have a dangerous trio of wide receivers in Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers that weren't on the field for any of last year's three meetings against the Bengals.
Still, having Andrews back on the field would make a huge difference for an offense looking to have a better showing than it did in Week 1. In his nine career games against the Bengals, Andrews has had 45 catches for 533 yards and six touchdowns.
Ravens Rule Out Four Starters
While Andrews may play, the Ravens will still be short-handed against the Bengals once again, as they ruled out four starters for Sunday's game.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, center Tyler Linderbaum, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and safety Marcus Williams are all out. None of the four practiced this week.
Stanley (sprained knee), Linderbaum (sprained ankle), and Williams (pectoral) were all injured in Week 1 against the Houston Texans. Humphrey had foot surgery on Aug. 16 and was reportedly estimated to miss 4-6 weeks.
The Ravens played the Bengals twice at the end of last season without Lamar Jackson but will at least have their star quarterback under center this time. Jackson is 6-1 against the Bengals all-time.
While the Ravens are banged-up for another matchup against the Bengals, they aren't entering the game feeling sorry for themselves. Head Coach John Harbaugh said he doesn't use the term "next man up" but that his players have embraced it.
"We don't even talk about it. It doesn't even need to be talked about because we do talk about how much [and] how strongly we feel about our guys," Harbaugh said. "Our players are confident in their teammates, their brothers in arms. They believe in one another, and they're excited to see those guys play."
Patrick Mekari is expected to step into the starting left tackle spot. He's started 29 games at various positions over his previous four seasons with the Ravens. Sam Mustipher, who started all but one game for the Chicago Bears the past two seasons, will step in for Linderbaum.
Geno Stone, who started seven games last year, will fill in for Williams, and some combination of Brandon Stephens, Ronald Darby and Rock Ya-Sin will cover Humphrey's absence.
Bengals Lists Three Players as Questionable
While the Ravens are dealing with several substantial injuries, the Bengals are pretty healthy.
They have three players – all backups – questionable to play against the Ravens: backup running back Chris Evans (hamstring), defensive end Joseph Ossai (ankle), and linebacker Markus Bailey (knee).
All three players practiced at some point this week as the Bengals had 52 of 53 players present at practice each day.
