As excitement for the Harbaugh Bowl mounts, Baltimore Ravens find themselves in an awkward situation. More than just family rivalry, each lineup could determine who emerges victorious; unfortunately for Baltimore, their defensive strategy took a significant hit when several key players announced they wouldn’t play against Los Angeles Chargers this week.
Roquan Smith was noted among those missing due to a hamstring injury as the most noteworthy player who failed to make their mark during this matchup for Baltimore Ravens. With Smith out, there is now an obvious hole left by their defense that may allow Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert more room. Other inactives included cornerback Arthur Maulet, running back Rasheen Ali, strong safety Sanoussi Kane, center Nick Samac and outside linebacker David Ojabo.
FOX Sports: NFL posted a tweet highlighting how Smith’s injury will impede Baltimore Ravens in their next matchup against Pittsburgh and highlighted their unique difficulties without one of their key defensive players.
As they prepare to face Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers, these players’ absence will create additional difficulty for the Ravens and should make for an exciting contest between teams. As soon as one or more is out injured or unavailable for some other reason, quick adaptation must occur quickly in order to replace missing elements and compensate. Making for an exciting battle-on-field!