Marlon Humphrey (calf) practiced Thursday on a limited basis for the second straight day, saying that he felt "good" and that he hoped to play in Sunday's AFC championship game.
"I'm just super excited to hopefully get out there," Humphrey said. "The fans, they always talk about 'this moment, this is our year.' To finally get here, to finally have it in M&T Bank Stadium in front of our fans, it's a really exciting moment."
Humphrey joked that he might be peaking too early, getting fired up after texting with General Manager Eric DeCosta on Wednesday night.
It's been a challenging season for Humphrey, who has missed a career-high eight games, including last weekend's playoff victory over the Texans. Missing so much time has been difficult for a fierce competitor like Humphrey, who desperately wants to help the Ravens reach the Super Bowl.
"It's been rough," Humphrey said. "I've been kind of trying to stay positive through it. It's definitely not been ideal for me. I think the best thing that has really helped me get through it the most is seeing how the guys are playing on Sundays."
Humphrey thinks it's fitting the Ravens will have to beat Kansas City to reach the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have reached the AFC Championship for six consecutive seasons, and Humphrey still views them as the team to beat.
"I feel the Chiefs are like the [NFL] version of Alabama," Humphrey said. "Every year you might be like, 'Ah, they're not looking that good' and they're still that team. They're still the Chiefs. For us to beat them it's going to take everybody firing on all cylinders.
"Mahomes, him and Lamar – it's those two quarterbacks then everybody else. The two best quarterbacks in all the world are going to be on the same field. We're facing one and they're facing the other."
Todd Monken On Possible Dynamic of Mark Andrews Being Active With Isaiah Likely
Mark Andrews has not played since suffering an ankle injury on Nov. 16 that required surgery, but he has been practicing since last week as a full participant.
That raises the possibility of Andrews returning to the lineup and joining Isaiah Likely in the tight end rotation Sunday. If that happens, it will be interesting to see how the Ravens utilize the two talented tight ends.
Likely has been on fire over the last seven games with 23 catches for 356 yards and six touchdowns, and Andrews is one of the top tight ends in the game. If Andrews plays, Monken said the coaching staff would assess how to best take advantage of his return.
"All that figures in, how well he's (Likely) played and then how well Mark's practiced," Monken said. "That all leads into every position really. Who's healthy, how do we anticipate that fitting into our game plan, and how can we incorporate them."
Head Coach John Harbaugh was not definitive on Andrews' status for the weekend.
"Mark practiced – he went through the whole practice," Harbaugh said. "We'll just see on all those things.
"You have to get through practices, and you have to come back the next day feeling OK. If I stand up here and start telling you that guys are going to play, and then they don't play, you're going to be looking at me like, 'Well, I'm steering you the wrong way.' I don't make predictions about who's going to play. I'm rooting for all of them. I promise you that."
Only Two Head Coach Vacancies Remain
The head coaching openings have dwindled, giving Ravens fans more hope that Baltimore could retain its assistant coaches.
The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly hiring Raheem Morris, who has been the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator. That leaves just two remaining openings: the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks.
Per reports, Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald and Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach Anthony Weaver both interviewed with the Commanders.
The latest rumors are that Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowick have emerged as the favorites for the Commanders job. They both reportedly have second in-person interviews scheduled for early next week. Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn also reportedly has a third interview scheduled.
None of the Ravens' coaches have reportedly interviewed with Seattle, but that search is reportedly wide open.
Jackson, Harbaugh, Macdonald, Monken Are Finalists for NFL Honors
Lamar Jackson and three members of Baltimore's coaching staff were announced Thursday as finalists for the Associated Press' 2023 NFL Awards.
Jackson is one of five finalists for the Most Valuable Player Award which he won by unanimous vote in 2019. He is expected to win again when the winners are announced Feb. 8 at the NFL Honors ceremony.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy on the other MVP finalists. However, Jackson moved ahead of the competition during the Ravens' late-season drive to the NFL's best record (13-4), which included a convincing 33-19 win over the 49ers on Christmas Night.
Jackson is also a finalist for Offensive Player of the Year along with McCaffrey, Prescott, Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Head Coach John Harbaugh, who won NFL Coach of the Year in 2019, is a finalist for that award again. The other finalists are Dan Campbell of the Lions, DeMeco Ryans of the Texans, Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers and Kevin Stefanski of the Browns.
In his 16th season, Harbaugh is the winningest coach in franchise history and has led Baltimore to the playoffs 11 times. Sunday's game against the Chiefs will be Harbaugh's fourth trip to the AFC Championship.
Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald and Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken are two of five finalists for Assistant Coach of the Year. The other finalists are Offensive Coordinators Ben Johnson (Lions) and Bobby Slowik (Texans), and Browns Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz.
On Thursday, the Pro Football Writers of America announced Macdonald as its NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.
