The Ravens have spent the offseason, training camp, preseason and first part of the regular season looking for playmakers to make an impact on offense.
They may have found somebody Sunday who can fill that role.
Second-year receiver Deonte Thompson made his debut after recovering from a foot injury suffered in the preseason, and the speedy wideout showed the skills that made the Ravens so high on him coming into the year.
"He's a playmaker for us," wide receiver Torrey Smith said. "When he's out there he helps us out a lot and I'm glad to see him come back."
Thompson finished the day with four catches for 50 yards, including an impressive 33-yard catch down the sidelines in the fourth quarter to set up a field goal. Thompson made the catch despite a jarring helmet-to-helmet hit from safety Jim Leonhard that was penalized for a shot at a defenseless receiver.
Thompson ended up suffering a concussion on the play, but he still held onto the football.
"He made a great play," Smith said. "It's unfortunate that the guy made a pretty good hit on him, but that's football and he'll be back soon."
Thompson worked in a rotation with Tandon Doss as the team's No. 3 receiver in three receiver sets. Rookie receiver Marlon Brown dealt with a thigh injury in the second half, and that gave Thompson a chance to get more reps.
The Ravens had big expectations this season for the former undrafted player out of Florida. He might be the fastest player on the team – he clocked a 40-yard dash at 4.29 seconds in college – and that breakaway speed gives the Ravens a valuable downfield threat.
With Jacoby Jones currently sidelined by a knee injury and Smith attracting double coverage as the team's No. 1 wideout, Thompson is a player who can stretch the field on the edge. He showed that ability on the tough fourth-quarter catch Sunday, and he also went to Flacco to tell him that he was consistently getting past defenders in the secondary.
"Deonte said that he was beating him a little bit so I knew I had good opportunity to throw the ball down the field if it presented itself," Flacco said.
Thompson is now dealing with another injury and his return is uncertain. He has to go through the official NFL concussion protocol before returning to the field, and the severity of his concussion was not announced Sunday.
Head Coach John Harbaugh is scheduled to address the media around 4:15 p.m. Monday, which is typically when he provides further injury updates. Fans can watch a live stream of the press conference today on the website homepage and by using the mobile app.
