By Joe Schiller
The Baltimore Ravens are riding high into their bye week following a 30-16 road win against the Seattle Seahawks. The team gets a much-needed rest before a Sunday Night Showdown against the New England Patriots.
The bye week also offers the time for injured players to have an extended rest, and the Ravens could see some key pieces on both sides of the ball return in Week 9.
Head Coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Monday that he expects cornerback Jimmy Smith, linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, and wide receiver Marquise Brown to return.
"We feel very confident we should have all those guys back, baring a setback," Harbaugh said, via the Ravens' team website. "Very optimistic that we'll be at full strength coming out of the bye."
Smith hasn't seen the field since Week 1 after suffering a Grade-2 MCL sprain. He would add even more depth to the secondary after the addition of Marcus Peters. It would give Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale plenty of assets to work with in the final third of the field.
Onwuasor and Brown have missed the past two games dealing with ankle injuries. L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes have combined to make an impressive starting tandem at inside linebacker in Onwuasor's absence, but the Ravens will be excited to have their WLB on the field. For Brown, the Ravens' deep passing game has been virtually nonexistent in his absence. Lamar Jackson connected on a 50-yard throw to Miles Boykin against the Seahawks but hasn't had many other deep targets.
With Brown healthy, the Ravens will be able to stretch out of the offense and open up the run game even more. They'll face one of their toughest tests yet going against the NFL's No. 1 defense.
