The Ravens placed Koch on the list on Dec. 30, forcing him to miss the regular-season finale in Cincinnati. That snapped a franchise-high 15-year streak of consecutive games played (239).
Koch is one of the best punters in the game and his return is big for the Ravens' special teams unit, both as a punter and holder. Koch hasn't practiced all week, but Special Teams Coordinator Chris Horton expressed confidence that it wouldn't negatively impact him in the game.
"Concern? Not at all. We're talking about a 15-year veteran here," Horton said. "We're talking about a guy who knows how to prepare for a game when called upon. So, I don't think there's any concern when you're talking about Sam, who I consider one of the truest pros in our game."
The Ravens placed rookie guard Ben Bredeson (knee) on injured reserve to make room for Koch on the 53-man roster. Punter Johnny Townsend, who replaced Koch last week, counts against the 53-man roster for three weeks because he was signed off another team's practice squad (Kansas City). Thus, Baltimore had to find space elsewhere.
A fourth-round pick out of Michigan, Bredeson played in 10 games this season, mostly on special teams. He played a season-high 17 offensive snaps against the Bengals last week and 14 the week before. Baltimore has eight other offensive linemen and guard/center Patrick Mekari is questionable to play after missing last week's game because of a back injury
