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Game day update: Mark Andrews, J.K. Dobbins and Tyler Huntley are all INACTIVE for this game. The Ravens are taking the resting route and will be okay with the No. 6 seed for the playoffs.
Game day update: The Ravens will rest starting running back JK Dobbins on Sunday, giving him extra time to prepare for the team’s upcoming Wild Card game, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
The Baltimore Ravens will face the Cincinnati Bengals in the final week of the regular season. Kickoff from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio is set for 1 p.m. ET, with the game airing on CBS. Both of these teams have clinched a playoff spot, and mathematically the AFC North is still up for grabs.
Players resting for Ravens
Baltimore is in an interesting spot. They have dealt with injuries all season and could use this game to give their starters extra rest ahead of the playoffs. Because Bills-Bengals in Week 17 was canceled, the Ravens can’t win the AFC North title over the Bengals. So the only implication for Baltimore is seeding in the Wild Card. If the Ravens win, they get the No. 5 seed and would face either the Jaguars or Titans. If the Ravens lose or the Chargers win, Baltimore gets the 6-seed and could end up facing the Bengals again or the Bills.
As of now, the only player who won’t play is Lamar Jackson, who wasn’t able to practice all week and has been ruled out for the game. Baltimore has already clinched a spot in the postseason and seeding may not matter, though the matchups do vary in the 4-5 game and 3-6 game. Getting the 5-seed may be out of the Ravens’ hands.
Players resting for Bengals
The Bengals clinched the AFC North title after Week 17’s game vs. the Bills was vacated. The Bengals can’t get the No. 1 seed as a result and will either be the 2-seed or 3-seed in the playoffs. That may not matter much to Cincinnati, so we could see players resting in Week 18.
There aren’t any injuries of note on the offensive side of the ball in the skill ranks. Cornerback Eli Apple is listed as questionable.