The Baltimore Ravens suffered a few key injuries in their season opening loss to the Denver Broncos Thursday night as both wide receiver Jacoby Jones and tackle Michael Oher left the game in the first half and did not return. On Friday, The Baltimore Sun reports that Jones will undergo an MRI on his knee that was injured when he was run into by rookie safety Brynden Trawick while attempting to field a punt.
With Jones likely to be sidelined for at least a few weeks, the Ravens will be forced to play undrafted rookie wide receiver Marlon Brown opposite Torrey Smith. The Georgia product caught four passes Thursday night for 65 yards and a touchdown.
The Ravens decided to trade veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers during the offseason after he refused to take a cut in salary and that decision will be criticized even more than it already has been this season should Jones be sidelined for a while and if Brown is unable to fill his shoes.
Where the Ravens might suffer the most right now is at the third wide receiver spot as veteran Brandon Stokley looked like a 37 year-old player Thursday night against the Broncos. He was targeted 10 times in the passing game and only caught four passes for 34 yards on the night.
As far as Oher goes, the Ravens can’t afford to lose him for any amount of time as they aren’t very deep at the tackle position.
Injuries are part of the game and the Pittsburgh Steelers know this all too well. At the very least, the Ravens now have a few extra days to rest and recover before they play the Cleveland Browns in their home opener a week from Sunday.
