Terrell Suggs is playing.
Less than six months after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will take the field Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Suggs practiced all week after spending the first six weeks of the season on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). He was moved to the 53-man roster on Saturday and is now active for Sunday's matchup of the top two teams in the AFC.
When Suggs first went down, he said that his goal was to make it back by October, which seemed unlikely for an injury that typically has a recovery time closer to a year.
"I've always had odds against me," Suggs said earlier this week. "Everybody said I couldn't do it, and that's kind of the motto that I live by: If I can't do it, it can't be done. I'm not really into proving people wrong right now. The thing is helping my team win. That's the main objective as of right now."
It's unknown how much time Suggs will see. He will likely be in a rotation with Paul Kruger, Courtney Upshaw and Albert McClellan at outside linebacker.
Suggs' return to the lineup comes at a critical time for the Ravens, who lost linebacker Ray Lewis (torn triceps) and cornerback Lardarius Webb (torn ACL) to injured reserve last week. Suggs admitted that he could provide an emotional boost to the team if he's able to play.
"It could be [a boost], if I end up running out of the tunnel," Suggs said.
The other big injury news for the Ravens is that defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is active after being listed as questionable on the final injury report with a knee injury. He suffered the injury in last week's game against the Cowboys, but was still able to finish the game and practiced in a limited capacity on Thursday and Friday.
Cornerback Jimmy Smith is also active despite an abdominal strain that limited him during practice.
Nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu, however, is inactive because of a knee injury that limited his participation in practice throughout the week.
The other inactives for the Ravens are running back Bobby Rainey, cornerback Asa Jackson, tight end Billy Bajema, offensive linemen Jah Reid and Ramon Harewood and kick returner Deonte Thompson.
With Harewood down, veteran Bobbie Williams is expected to start at left guard for the second straight week. Jacoby Jones is expected to return kicks also for the second straight week.
With Kemoeatu down, the Ravens activated defensive linemen Bryan Hall and DeAngelo Tyson for the first time this season. Also, linebacker Josh Bynes is active for the first time this year after getting pulled up from the practice squad when Lewis went on injured reserve.
The scratches for the Texans are cornerback Roc Carmichael, safety Quinton Demps, offensive linemen Andrew Gardner, Brandon Brooks and Cody White, defensive end David Hunter and linebacker Barrett Ruud.
Texans starting cornerback Johnathan Joseph is active for the Texans after being questionable on the injury report with a groin injury. He knows the Ravens well from his time with the Texans and Bengals, and has intercepted quarterback Joe Flacco three times in the last four games.
