DT Pierce (ankle) likely to sit vs. Rams

Ravens starting defensive tackle Michael Pierce seems likely to sit out his second consecutive game after not making enough progress with his injured right ankle.

Coach John Harbaugh characterized Pierce as being “probably doubtful” for Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, and the four-year veteran was indeed listed by the team as doubtful.

“I don’t think Pierce will make it,” he said after Saturday afternoon’s practice. “We’ll see. Didn’t practice too much. He practiced a little bit on Thursday. He’ll be probably doubtful. If we need him and he can go, he would, but I don’t foresee that right now.”

Pierce’s absence opens the door for Domata Peko Sr. and Justin Ellis to fill the void. Peko started and made two tackles in the team’s 41-7 rout of the Houston Texans on Sunday, and Ellis added three tackles.

Harbaugh acknowledged that their presence has helped give Pierce time to recover without feeling pressed to return.

“I think that’s what gives us an opportunity probably not to push Michael out there unless he’s really ready to go,” he said. “Those guys played so well, and they practice well, and they’re ready to go.”

Pierce, who had injured his ankle in the first quarter of the team’s 49-13 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 10 and played a season-low three snaps, had practiced on a limited basis Thursday before missing Friday’s and Saturday’s session. Pierce, who has made 21 tackles, declined to comment in the team’s locker room, but Harbaugh emphasized that he did not suffer a setback on Thursday.

“Maybe he could go if we really had to have him go, but we’ve got those guys available, and let’s go with those healthy guys probably,” Harbaugh said.

On the mend

Aside from Pierce, the Ravens are looking like a healthy group. Starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), wide receiver Chris Moore (thumb) and rookie guard Ben Powers (thumb) were upgraded from limited practice Friday to full participation Saturday and are deemed questionable for Monday night.

Cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Jimmy Smith, running back Mark Ingram, free safety Earl Thomas III, defensive tackle Brandon Williams and right guard Marshal Yanda – all of whom missed one practice this week for non injury-related reasons – practiced fully Saturday and have no injury designations.

The Rams ruled out starting right tackle Rob Havenstein (knee) after he missed his third consecutive practice. Cornerback Darious Williams (ankle) also did not practice for the third straight day and will not play.

Running back Todd Gurley II, a Baltimore native, did not practice for non injury-related reasons, but is expected to play Monday night.

Ricard to Pro Bowl?

There is a small part of Patrick Ricard that still can’t believe that he is the leading vote-getter at AFC fullback for the Pro Bowl.

“I never thought in my life that I’d have a chance to be in the Pro Bowl,” he said

Friday. “The fact that right now it’s looking good, it’s very humbling.”

The 6-foot-3, 303-pound fullback-slashdefensive tackle is a throwback to the days of two-way players in football. He has lined up on offense on 27.6 percent of that unit’s snaps and on defense on 21.3 percent of that unit’s snaps. And that doesn’t include his 22.9 percent of snaps on special teams.

Admitting that he doesn’t have a chance to sit too often in games, Ricard insisted that he is willing to be utilized any way possible.

“For me now finally to be able to contribute on both sides of the ball pretty equally, it’s a great feeling because it’s what I’ve been working on for so long,” he said. “So it’s great to make plays for the team and just contribute.”

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said he has no reservations about the workload for Ricard, who set season highs in catches (three) and receiving yards (27) on Sunday.

“I do think there was a time when we might have taken that into consideration, but I think he’s excelled enough at the fullback position,” he said. “Is there a better fullback in the league? I don’t know. I’ll let somebody else decide that. He’s playing his position at a high level.”

Extra points

Gurley carried the ball a season-high 25 times for 97 yards and one touchdown in Sunday night’s 17-7 win against the Bears. He is still on pace to finish well short of the 1,251-yard, 17-touchdown display he enjoyed last season, and some observers have questioned whether a balky left knee that flared up near the end of last season has reduced his effectiveness.

But Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale said it would be foolish to overlook Gurley. “I see a really big, fast running back that can be a gamebreaker every time he touches the ball,” Martindale said. “That’s what I see.”

Justin Tucker’s 43-yard attempt that banged off the right upright in the first quarter of Sunday’s win was not only the eighth-year kicker’s first miss of the season, but also ended a streak of 22 successful field goals. That miscue, however, has not diminished special teams coordinator Chris Horton’s faith in the two-time Pro Bowler.

“It’s just one of those situations where our kicker, he’s got to hit the ball better,” Horton said. “He understands that. We have all the confidence in the world in Justin Tucker, I can guarantee you that, and those things won’t happen again.”

Monday night will mark the Ravens’ first trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the famed stadium holds a special place in Harbaugh’s heart. “The biggest game to me in the Coliseum — and I remember watching it on TV — was the greatest upset in the history of college football,” he said. “Stanford-USC [on Oct. 6, 2007], Jim Harbaugh taking down Pete Carroll’s No. 1-ranked Trojans when they were 42½point favorites [actually, 41]. … That was big.”

Asked whether that was the game after which Carroll confronted Harbaugh after the latter went for a two-point conversion with the game already decided, John Harbaugh replied, “No, that was the next year [actually, 2009]. That was the ‘What’s your deal?’ deal when Jim went for two because he couldn’t go for three. I mean, it’s just a great tradition. I’m sure Pete will get a chuckle out of this when he reads it, too.”