Mosley vows to play Monday night
Secondary bracing for test from Texans’ Hopkins; Woodhead fine with snaps
might’ve allayed some fear among fans when he made his first appearance of the week at Saturday’s practice and was a full participant. But the Ravens middle linebacker never had a doubt that he was going to suit up for Monday night’s game against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium.
“I’m playing,” he said. “So I’m not worried about that.”
Mosley, who was tagged as questionable in the team’s final injury report of the week, suffered a right ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 23-0 shutout of the Green Bay Packers when outside linebacker
fell on top of his leg while trying to recover a fumble caused by Mosley. Mosley, who playfully blamed
even though the weak-side linebacker was not on the field at the time, acknowledged that the film of the injury looked worse than it actually was.
“It could have been bad because I was being blocked back while I got landed on, but it was a minor sprain,” he said. “I felt pretty decent out there today. So I’ve got pretty much today and tomorrow and most of Monday to get it going.”
Coach sounded pleased about the return of Mosley, who is tied for seventh in the NFL in tackles (83).
“He’s going to be fine, and he’ll be ready to go,” Harbaugh said. Day off for Maclin: has worn a red noncontact jersey since aggravating a shoulder injury against the Oakland Raiders on Oct. 8, but his absence from Saturday’s practice was not related to that, according to Harbaugh.
“Jeremy, we gave him a day, a rest day today, and he’ll be ready to go Monday night,” Harbaugh said. As if to back up his confidence, Maclin is not on the team’s final injury report of the week. Like Maclin, outside linebacker
— who was listed as a limited participant in Friday’s session because of an ankle injury — was given Saturday off. Suggs and cornerback (Achilles tendon) are listed as questionable.
Right tackle (knee) and left tackle (concussion) practiced fully for the second consecutive day and are also questionable. Running back
(left calf) was a full participant all week and is questionable as well. The team ruled out rookie guard
(shoulder). The 2017 fifth-round draft pick has not practiced since Wednesday. Paying attention: In two career meetings against the Ravens, Texans wide receiver
has caught 11 total passes for 98 yards and zero touchdowns. The Ravens would like to continue that trend Monday.
But stopping the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Hopkins, who leads the NFL in touchdown catches (nine) and receptions leading to first downs (47) while ranking fourth in receiving yards (879), is easier said than done. He has amassed three 100-yard games this season, including a 224-yard effort against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 29, and has caught a touchdown in all but three games.
“If he isn’t the No. 1 receiver in the league, he’s pretty darn close to it,” defensive coordinator Dean Pees said Friday. “The guy can take the top off a defense speed-wise, he runs good routes, has got a great catch radius. He has a unique ability to body-position people up like on the back shoulder. Whether you want to call it a push-off or whether you don’t, he knows how to do it, and it’s hard. He is just a phenomenal receiver. He’s a great athlete, but he’s a phenomenal receiver.” No complaints: In his first appearance since pulling his left hamstring against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 10, lined up for only 13 of 59 snaps on offense at Green Bay. But the 5-8, 204-pound running back did not mind the limited workload, which included leading the team in catches (five) while amassing 21 yards.
“Whatever I’m supposed to go out and do, [I want to] try and win at whatever my matchup, whether it be blocking, running or receiving,” he said Friday. “I’m going out there trying to just win and just trying to focus on what I can do to help this team.” Henry seeking more: first sack of his career was not even a full sack. The defensive tackle had to share it with Suggs when they took down Chicago Bears rookie quarterback in overtime of an eventual loss on Oct. 15.
So one might imagine how happy the 6-2, 308-pound Henry must have been when he sacked the Packers’ twice in Sunday’s 23-0 rout without splitting either sack. But the 2016 fifth-round pick said his satisfaction was fleeting.
“You want to go out there and do it again because you know how good it feels,” said Henry, who already ranks third on the team in sacks with 2½ and has three or more tackles in five games. “You now know the feeling of having two sacks. It’s kind of like now I want three sacks in a game. I just want to keep getting better. I’m pretty sure that if I get that third sack in a game, it’s going to feel good, but then I’m going to want to have four sacks in a game. I just want to be better than I was the last week.” End zone: Houston will play Monday night without one starter in wide receiver
(ribs), who did not practice all week. Seven starters were upgraded to full participation and will play. They are right guard (hand), left tackle (knee), outside linebacker
(ankle), free safety (knee), defensive end (knee), wide receiver Hopkins (foot) and cornerback (shoulder). … With two sacks Sunday, Suggs broke into the NFL’s top 20 in career sacks, tying former Pro Bowl defensive end for 19th place with 122 sacks each. Suggs, who is already the franchise leader in sacks, said that moving into the top 20 was an honor, but he has his sights set on loftier goals. “It’s all in how you finish,” he said. “I said it before on Sunday. If you don’t get in [to the playoffs], it means nothing.” HOUSTON AT RAVENS TEXANS: Out: T Julie’n Davenport (shoulder); WR Will Fuller V (ribs); C Greg Mancz (shoulder). RAVENS: Out: G Jermaine Eluemunor (shoulder). Questionable: Austin Howard (knee); LB C.J. Mosley (ankle); CB Jimmy Smith (Achilles); T Ronnie Stanley (concussion); LB Terrell Suggs (ankle); RB Terrance West (calf).