Five minutes before entering his weekly Monday press conference, John Harbaugh received confirmation of news he had feared since the two-minute warning from yesterday’s game.
Ray Lewis is out for the season.
The results were phoned in from Lewis’ MRI and confirmed a complete tear of his triceps, which will force Lewis from the field to the sidelines.
The injury was the latest in devastating blows to the Ravens already struggling defense as they watched star cornerback Lardarius Webb leave the field in the first quarter with a torn ACL.
Many players treat recovery differently depending on the timing of their injury. Lewis should be expected to immediately turn from player into coach.
In his 17th season, Lewis’ play has declined despite leading the team in tackles. He lost a considerable amount of weight before the season started to be more effective in the pass game but has only showed glimpses of being the most dominant linebacker in the NFL.
For Lewis, if he’s to earn another ring before retirement, his chances have extremely diminished. While most of the AFC has struggled this season with sub-.500 records, the Ravens still have a legitimate shot of earning their fifth consecutive playoff berth and another chance to win their second Super Bowl.
Only this time it will be with Lewis on the sidelines.
The Ravens are going to have to hope the team can rally as it did last season when Lewis missed four-games with a toe injury. During that span, they went unbeaten with a 4-0 record but clearly were a different defense then they appear to be today.
For those saying that Lewis may have played his final snap in the NFL, it’s doubtful. No one individual is more motivated and works harder than Lewis does to achieve whatever goal he’s envisioned.
This is just another obstacle to overcome for Lewis in a Hall of Fame career.
