Ravens Team Report

INSIDE SLANT

The Ravens lost their first starter of the season when cornerback Fabian Washington(notes) tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Washington is expected to miss the rest of the season, coach John Harbaugh said Monday.

Washington suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of the team’s 17-15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts when he lowered his shoulder in an attempt to force running back Joseph Addai(notes) out of bounds. Washington appeared to land on his left leg awkwardly and had to be carried off the field.

Washington, who was using crutches after the game, is scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam sometime Monday, but the Ravens are preparing for the worst.

“It looks like he has an ACL tear,” Harbaugh said during his weekly news conference. “We’ll find out later today. Maybe the MRI will come back and tell us something different, but as of right now, we’re proceeding as if he’ll be done for the season.”

Washington was having an up-and-down season for the Ravens. He was benched Oct. 18 at Minnesota because of his performance, but he had bounced back in his past three games.

This was Washington’s second season for the Ravens, who acquired him from the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick. In 22 regular-season games, Washington had one interception.

It could mark the last time Washington played for the Ravens. He is an unrestricted free agent after the season.

The Ravens haven’t officially named a replacement for Washington.

Barring the Ravens signing a veteran, it’s expected that rookie third-round pick Lardarius Webb(notes) would take over Washington’s spot.

“Lardarius is going to be a big part of the plans,” Harbaugh said. “I’m not sure exactly how we’re going to set that up right now. Of course, Chris Carr(notes) is in the mix, and Frank Walker’s(notes) in the mix, and we’ll see if we bring somebody else in at corner to kind of bolster us up a little bit. But we’ll be sharing the duty a little bit with that. Obviously, Lardarius has played well, so he’ll be a part of that.”

NOTES, QUOTES

—Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs(notes) refuted an ESPN report that said he would miss the next month with a sprained right knee.

“Don’t believe everything you read,” Suggs said with a smile before walking away.

Jameel McClain(notes) is starting in Suggs’ place.

• Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata(notes), who had missed the past two games with a sprained ankle, helped the Ravens defense control the line of scrimmage and limit the Colts to 76 rushing yards. But he was also flagged for unnecessary roughness when he landed on wide receiver Pierre Garcon(notes) after he had been tackled for a 7-yard loss on a reverse.

“I didn’t know if he was down,” said Ngata, whose penalty led to the Colts’ game-winning field goal. “I know he got tripped up, and I just wanted to make sure he was down. I thought I was kind of airborne before he was down. But it is what it is.”

• Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle(notes) said he hasn’t made a decision about his future in football.

The cornerback has undergone fusion surgery on his neck twice in less than a year, but he said he doesn’t know whether he will retire.

“I’m just waiting to see how it feels,” Rolle said. “I’ve just got to go off of the best advice I get, really, when it settles down and see what they say. I thought I’d be able to play this year.”

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Player Notes  

• CB Cary Williams(notes) was added to the Ravens’ active roster from the Titans’ practice squad, and FB Charles Ali(notes) was signed from the UFL. They replace starting CB Fabian Washington (knee) and reserve RB Matt Lawrence(notes) (knee), who were placed on injured reserve.

Washington was tied for second on the Ravens with eight passes defensed. Lawrence was tied for fifth on the team with 16 special teams tackles.

• CB Lardarius Webb could make his first NFL start against the Pittsburgh Steelers because Fabian Washington is out for the season with a torn ACL. Webb was Baltimore’s third cornerback last Sunday.

• WR Mark Clayton(notes) has two catches for 25 yards in his past three games. He has had six passes throw in his direction during that time.

• LB Terrell Suggs is expected to miss his second straight game with a sprained knee. Jameel McClain would start in Suggs’ rush linebacker spot.

• QB Joe Flacco(notes) hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in three games, the longest drought of his career.

• CB Samari Rolle said he still hasn’t made a decision whether he would retire from football. He is dealing with a neck injury.

Report Card Vs  . COLTS

Passing Offense:   C—Joe Flacco threw his worst pass of the season, forcing a red-zone pass into triple coverage. He was intercepted by linebacker Gary Brackett(notes), which cost the Ravens a chance to take a fourth-quarter lead on a short field goal. It was a tough game for Flacco, who was late on his throws all game. Only Derrick Mason(notes) and Ray Rice(notes) continue to get open on a regular basis.

Rushing Offense:   C—The Ravens had success running the ball against the Colts, producing 98 yards as a team. Ray Rice broke a 14-yard run, and Willis McGahee(notes) had a 16-yarder. But the Ravens failed to punch the ball in from the 1-yard line. McGahee was stuffed on second and third downs.

Pass Defense:   B—The Ravens held Peyton Manning(notes) to 299 yards passing (which is an achievement against the three-time NFL MVP) and intercepted him twice. It was an admirable job considering the Ravens were without their top pass rusher (Terrell Suggs was injured). The Ravens also forced tight end Tom Santi(notes) to fumble at the Baltimore 1-yard line.

Rush Defense:   B—Joseph Addai gained a season-best 74 yards, but the Ravens contained him for most of the day. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata returned after missing two games with a sprained ankle to dominate the line of scrimmage. Addai, though, faked out Ray Lewis(notes) at the 3-yard line before scoring the Colts’ second touchdown of the game.

Special Teams:   C—In his first game with the Ravens, Billy Cundiff(notes) tied a team record with five field goals. But he missed on a 30-yarder, which proved costly in a two-point loss. On the Ravens’ last punt return, Ed Reed(notes) made a haphazard lateral that led to a fumble in the final minute of the game. Lardarius Webb averaged 26.3 yards on three kickoff returns.

Coaching:   D—With about two minutes left in the game, coach John Harbaugh used a timeout before throwing out the red flag. After he lost the challenge, the Ravens used up their last two timeouts of the game. It was coaching blunder. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is finding his niche with the players. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has to figure out how to get Flacco back on track.