David Berding/Getty Images
Despite nursing a finger injury, Marlon Humphrey had a key interception in the Ravens’ win in Minnesota on Sunday.
The Baltimore Ravens are about to go to their house of horrors, and their much-improved defense may be short-handed as well.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey may need finger surgery, and if he does, he would miss their road game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Baltimore (4-5) has won three straight and has allowed just 58 points over its past four games (14.5 points per game) to move within a game of first place in the AFC North.
But the Ravens have lost three of their past four road games in Cleveland, including their 29-24 defeat in 2024. Baltimore somehow allowed 401 yards of total offense in that game to Jameis Winston and the NFL’s worst scoring offense last season.
Marlon Humphrey May Need Surgery On His Finger
The good news for Ravens fans is Humphrey’s finger injury is not a long-term thing. The corner was injured during Baltimore’s 27-19 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
According to Ravens.com, athletic trainers wrapped his hand to protect his finger, but Humphrey still recorded a third-quarter interception against Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
There is uncertainty with Humphrey’s decision whether to get surgery, since the Ravens’ bye has already passed and they put themselves behind the 8-ball with their 1-5 start.
Baltimore could ill-afford to lose a game while it waits to get the superstar cornerback healthy, even with the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers in free fall by dropping three of their past four.
So Harbaugh is leaving the door open for Humphrey to play.
“He might need to get something done to tighten it up, which would mean he could play right away, maybe, or it might take a week to come back from that if he does decide to do it (surgery),” Harbaugh said.
Fortunately for the Ravens, if Humphrey wanted to get his finger right and have surgery, it wouldn’t be more than a week or two for him to recover. That could make now the time for him to have the surgery, since the Browns (2-7) have lost five of six and are averaging 18 points per game with quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
“It would be a week at most, I’m told,” Harbaugh said. “When you say a week, I’m thinking maybe two or maybe none. If he decides to play with it and keep it wrapped up, then he can play this game (against Cleveland).”
The Browns Have Been A Different Opponent At Home
The Ravens defense smothered the Joe Flacco-backed Cleveland offense in their Week 2, 41-17 win at M&T Bank Stadium.
But before Baltimore fans start overlooking the Browns again, Cleveland has been different while playing on Lake Erie than in road games, where it has dropped 13 straight dating back to last year including its 27-20 loss to the New York Jets.
The Browns are 2-1 at Huntington Bank Field this season, with only a one-point loss to the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 keeping them from a perfect record. They beat the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in Week 3 and blitzed the Miami Dolphins 31-6 while forcing four turnovers Oct. 19.
So Humphrey may decide to have surgery, since Baltimore has about a 65 percent chance of making the playoffs per ESPN. But a win in Cleveland isn’t a guarantee, even with him.
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
More Heavy on Ravens
Loading more stories
