By Austin Medina
The Ravens secondary has already been without corners Tavon Young and Jimmy Smith.
After the 26-23 win over the Steelers, the Ravens added another player to the injury list.
Ravens’ S Tony Jefferson suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Ravens’ HC John Harbaugh said there could be more damage than just ACL for Jefferson’s knew.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
October 6, 2019 Jefferson has been the Ravens starting safety the past three seasons. The 27-year old was carted off the field in Pittsburgh while recording a tackle in the victory.
Head coach John Harbaugh announced Jefferson’s status Sunday.
Coach Harbaugh says Tony Jefferson (knee) will be out for the season as it stands now. pic.twitter.com/gy5a5NPlAn
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens)
October 6, 2019 Jefferson has been a staple of the Baltimore defense since coming to the team in 2017. Over the past three seasons, he has tallied 174 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 11 pass deflections, and two interceptions.
Harbaugh went on to describe Jefferson as the “heart and soul” of the Ravens defense.
"@_tonyjefferson is the heart and soul of us.He has the toughest road to travel. And he will, he'll come back stronger than ever." pic.twitter.com/jiaWXWUtdl
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens)
October 7, 2019 The Ravens will likely use Anthony Levine Sr. for a majority of starting snaps the remainder of the season, while younger safeties Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott will have expanded roles.
Free safety Earl Thomas may be able to cover up for the absence of Jefferson, yet the three remaining safeties will have to be dependable moving forward.
The Ravens gear up for a division matchup with the lowly Bengals (0-5) this Sunday. Quarter back Andy Dalton may be inconsistent, but he surely can throw the football down field. Baltimore will have to game plan for Dalton’s passing attack, even without star receiver AJ Green.
