You can breathe a bit easier, Baltimore. The Ravens should have running back Mark Ingram II for the playoffs.
An MRI on Monday morning showed that Ingram suffered a "mild to moderate" calf strain in Sunday's 31-15 win in Cleveland, according to Head Coach John Harbaugh.
"He won't play this week. He probably wouldn't play this week no matter what the circumstance was with that calf strain," Harbaugh said. "We'd be looking for him to be ready in two weeks. So we'll just see how that goes going forward."
Ingram will have essentially three weeks to rest and recover before the Ravens' divisional playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on either Jan. 11 or Jan. 12.
It was a non-contact injury that happened on the first play of the fourth quarter when Lamar Jackson kept a read-option and Ingram crumpled to the ground. Ingram sat out the rest of the game.
Earlier in the game, Ingram topped 1,000 rushing yards (1,018) for the third time in his career. He has 15 total touchdowns this season (10 rushing, five receiving).
While Ingram is the clear leader of the Ravens' running backs, and the "heart of the team," according to Lamar Jackson, Baltimore does have depth at the position.
Gus Edwards has run well all year (581 yards, 5.2 yards per carry) and rookie Justice Hill showed his potential with his first career touchdown in Cleveland. If the Ravens need their backup running backs to shoulder a bigger load once Ingram returns, it shouldn't be a problem.
Even if Ingram doesn't play Sunday against the Steelers, the Ravens' ground attack will have plenty of motivation. The Ravens are just 93 yards short of breaking the NFL single-season team rushing record held by the 1978 New England Patriots.
The Ravens are averaging 204.9 rushing yards per game this season, but their leading rushers (Jackson and Ingram) could both be resting. Baltimore is already one of just three teams to ever crack 3,000 rushing yards, joining the 1978 Patriots and 1973 Buffalo Bills.
