The season opener in Miami went about as perfectly as the Ravens could have imagined. Baltimore dominated from start to finish, beating the Dolphins 59-10 to open the season.
The only lingering concern as the Ravens celebrated the victory was the health of veteran cornerback Jimmy Smith, who left the game on the second drive with a knee injury.
Head Coach John Harbaugh announced after the win that the injury is not expected to put Smith's season in jeopardy.
"It's not a season ending injury, as far as we know right now," Harbaugh said. "It does not look like that at all. I'm sure he'll get an MRI tomorrow. We'll just have to see if it's days, or weeks, or what. We'll know tomorrow when we get the MRI."
Smith suffered the injury at the at the end of a 13-yard pass to Kalen Ballage. Safety Earl Thomas made the tackle and linebacker Patrick Onwuasor slammed into Smith's right knee. Smith walked off under his power but did not return.
A good sign, however, was that Smith was back standing on the sidelines by the end of the game.
The Ravens replaced Smith in the lineup with second-year cornerback Anthony Averett, who played well in his place. The former fourth-round pick from Alabama came up with a pass defensed and played tight coverage throughout the game.
The Ravens are deep in the secondary, but that depth is being tested. They have already lost cornerback Tavon Young for the rest of the season because of a neck injury.
If Smith does miss extended action, then Averett would join Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Carr as the top three cornerbacks in rotation.
Smith, 31, is one of Baltimore's top defenders. He played 12 games last year and finished with 45 tackles, nine passes defensed and two interceptions.
