Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, sidelined by a calf injury, hasn’t played in over three weeks. He expects that to change Sunday.
“I feel good,” he said Wednesday after practice, in which he was a full participant. “Ready to rock.”
Humphrey, the team’s most talented cornerback, was injured late in the Ravens’ 33-31 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 12. He missed the next two games, wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers, and enjoyed a Week 13 bye.
Humphrey’s return is well timed. The Ravens on Sunday face the Los Angeles Rams, led on offense by quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receivers Cooper Kupp, a former All-Pro, and Puka Nacua, a rookie who’s seventh in the NFL in receiving yards (1,029). Despite early-season injuries, the Rams’ offense ranks 13th in passing DVOA, according to FTN.
As the Ravens push for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, their elite secondary will be challenged weekly. After Sunday’s game, the defense is set to face Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley, San Francisco 49ers wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, Miami Dolphins wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens.
Humphrey said coach John Harbaugh delivered a “fiery message” to the team after it returned from its bye, reminding players: “This isn’t the time to relax.”
“It’s great to be in the position where you can control your own destiny, and all that takes is just practicing good, taking it one day at a time and winning on Sunday,” Humphrey said. He added: “This isn’t a time to do anything other than to win the game in front of you, and that starts meeting after meeting, rep after rep, practice after practice. And then you go into the game and you’re ready to go. So we’re kind of just looking forward to Sunday, winning that game and just continuing to control what we can control.”
With defensive lineman Justin Madubuike (concussion protocol) and inside linebackers Malik Harrison (groin) and Trenton Simpson (concussion) back at practice Wednesday, only one player, wide receiver Rashod Bateman, was missing. Harbaugh said Bateman was dealing with an illness and hoped he would be available Thursday. Harrison and Madubuike were limited participants in practice.
