Inside linebacker Alaka’s knee injury likely an end to his season
With Phillips out, Mekari, Powers split snaps at center
Quarterback Lamar Jackson returned for Sunday’s 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Baltimore after missing two practices this week, but rookie right guard Tyre Phillips was sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Jackson (knee/illness) was active after being listed as questionable Friday. He missed Wednesday’s practice with a sore knee and did not practice Thursday because of an illness, which was reportedly a stomach ache. He returned to practice Friday and was a full participant.
Jackson completed 19 of 37 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He carried the ball twice for 3 yards.
With Phillips inactive, Patrick Mekari, who started five regular-season games at center last season, started at right guard and split snaps with second-year lineman Ben Powers. Coach John Harbaugh said Mekari and Powers were ready to play and it was offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris’ idea to give snaps to both players.
Tight ends Mark Andrews (thigh) and Nick Boyle (thigh), wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (knee), left tackle Ronnie Stanley (shoulder/ hip), rookie defensive tackle Justin Madubuike (knee), defensive end Derek Wolfe (elbow), cornerbacks Marcus Peters (thigh) and Jimmy Smith (knee) and defensive back-linebacker Anthony Levine Sr. (abdomen), all of whom were listed as questionable, were active.
Madubuike, a third-round pick in the 2020 draft, made his NFL debut. He recorded one tackle and a quarterback hit.
Safety Marcus Gilchrist, whom the team on Saturday elevated from the practice squad to the active roster, was active. Gilchrist played on defense and special teams but did not land on the final stat sheet.
Wide receiver Chris Moore (thigh/ finger) and rookie defensive tackle Broderick Washington (illness), who were questionable, were inactive.
Undrafted rookie offensive lineman Trystan Colon-Castillo, whom the team also elevated from the practice squad to the active roster, was inactive. Quarterback Trace McSorley, running back Justice Hill and defensive tackle Justin Ellis were also inactive.
Bengals running back Joe Mixon (shin) was active, and eight-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Geno Atkins (shoulder) made his season debut. Wide receiver John Ross (illness), cornerback Mackensie Alexander (hamstring), linebacker Markus Bailey, defensive tackle Andrew Brown, offensive lineman Keaton Sutherland, running back Trayveon Williams and kicker Austin Seibert were inactive.
Alaka likely out for season
Inside linebacker Otaro Alaka suffered a knee injury against the Bengals and will likely miss the remainder of the season, Harbaugh said after the game.
“It looks bad, looks like he’ll probably be out for the year so we’re very disappointed about that,” Harbaugh said. “He had been doing a really, really great job on special teams. He was really coming on, I’m very proud of him for the way he was playing.”
Entering Sunday’s game, Alaka had played 60 snaps on special teams, the sixth most on the team.
CBS announcer apologizes for mix-up
Jackson became a household name last season by winning the NFL Most Valuable Player award. On Sunday, fans tuning into the Ravens’ game against the Bengals on television might have been a little confused when they didn’t hear Jackson’s name.
CBS play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel repeatedly called Jackson “Murray” while the quarterback dropped back to pass or scrambled outside the pocket early in the game, confusing the Ravens star with
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Several fans called attention to Gumbel’s calls on social media, asking why the veteran announcer didn’t immediately correct his mistakes.
Sunday’s game was Gumbel’s first calling the Ravens this season. He had previously called the Raiders-Panthers, Broncos-Steelers, Panthers-Chargers and Colts-Bears games.
He later called Jackson’s interception to rookie linebacker Logan Wilson in the second quarter a complete pass before realizing it was a turnover.
During a first-down run by Jackson with just over 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, Gumbel again referred to Jackson as Murray but corrected himself, saying, “Whydo I keep calling him Murray?” with a laugh.
Gumbel eventually started referring to Jackson by name. During a Ravens challenge with 6:23 left in the fourth quarter, he apologized for his earlier errors.
“For some unearthly reason I referred to Lamar Jackson as Kyler Murray today,” Gumbel said on air. “I got to apologize to Lamar, I apologize to Murray, I apologize to their fans.”
Extra points
■ The Ravens have scored 20 points in 28 straight games, tying the Los Angeles Rams (1999-2000) for the second-longest such streak in NFL history.
■ The Ravens are the first team to have five defensive backs record a sack in a single game, according to Pro-Football-Reference. ■ Punter Sam Koch played in his 229th game for the Ravens, tying Terrell Suggs for most in franchise history.