Teddye Buchanan's strong rookie season came to an end Sunday in Cincinnati, as Head Coach John Harbaugh confirmed Monday that the linebacker suffered a torn ACL.
He went down on a non-contact play while covering a punt. Harbaugh said the hope is that he'll be back and ready to go by next year's training camp.
Buchanan's 93 tackles are the second-most on the team behind Roquan Smith (114).
It's tough for any rookie to start on the Ravens' defense, but Buchanan did it as a fourth-round pick who played just one year of top-level college football at Cal. He started 13 of 14 games and played 69% of the defensive snaps.
"Teddye did a great job. Just to see his progress, see him grow as a player on defense and special teams, it's just been really fun," Harbaugh said. "Nobody's into it more than he is. He's just great. ⊠It's unfortunate and disappointing, and it'll be part of his story going forward."
The Ravens turned to third-year linebacker Trenton Simpson after Buchanan went down and Simpson answered with nine tackles against the Bengals.
Simpson has improved this season and currently ranks as the Ravens' fifth-highest graded defensive player by Pro Football Focus. Harbaugh said he's "really not worried about it at all."
"Trent had a really good game, played well, has been practicing great," Harbaugh said. "Every time he's been playing, he's been playing well, too. I expect Trenton to come in there and build on what Teddye's been doing so far and what Trenton's been doing."
Injury Updates on Chidobe Awuzie and Ronnie Stanley
Harbaugh didn't have as much definitive information on the injuries that sent cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (foot) and left tackle Ronnie Stanley to the sideline.
Harbaugh reiterated that Awuzie got his foot caught in the netting behind the end zone at Paycor Stadium, and said it's not a long-term injury like a Lisfranc break.
"We'll know more as the week goes on," Harbaugh said.
Stanley limped off the field late in the third quarter and didn't return with the Ravens holding a 17-point lead.
"He's sore like a lot of guys," Harbaugh said. "He's another guy that we'll be looking at during the course of the week to see where it's at."
Rookie offensive tackle Carson Vinson got his first offensive snaps of the season (six) in place of Stanley.
Ar'Darius Washington's Return Gave the Ravens a 'Big Boost'
Ar'Darius Washington returned from an Achilles tear in just seven months, making his season debut Sunday in Cincinnati.
Washington played 15 defensive snaps â eight at slot corner, four at free safety, and three in the box â and made two tackles.
Harbaugh said he and Washington had a conversation on the sideline during the third quarter about how "meaningful and cool" his return was.
"He was playing really well, flying around making tackles, doing what A.D. does. I've just always loved the way he plays," Harbaugh said. "It's a big boost for us. It gives us another playmaker on defense, another high-energy guy to fly around and do what he does."
Ravens Ran a 'Perfect Play' on Flip Sweep to Derrick Henry
Harbaugh and the Ravens are always chasing perfection, and Harbaugh made it clear Monday that they do believe you can reach it at times.
Harbaugh cited one play from Sunday's win as an example. It was the Ravens' first offensive snap of the second half, and they ran a misdirection "flip sweep" to Derrick Henry for a 29-yard gain.
"That was literally the perfect play," Harbaugh said. "Every single guy did a perfect job on that play. That was a beautiful play."
Henry ripped off a 24-yard gain off left tackle on the next play, and the Ravens ultimately booted a field goal to take a 17-point lead.
The Ravens only ran 41 offensive plays in the game. It was partly because the Bengals had some long, methodical drives, which still didn't end with points. The Ravens' pick-six in the fourth quarter came at the end of one such drive, which meant back-to-back possessions for the Bengals. Baltimore ran just two offensive plays in the fourth quarter before kneels.
The Ravens were also explosive. They had eight plays of 20+ yards (four passes, four runs). Baltimore averaged a whopping 7.9 yards per play.
Still, Harbaugh said he would like to see them extend more drives. The Ravens were 2-of-7 on third down, which was still far better than the Bengals' 3-of-15 but could've been better.
"We took ourselves off the field more than anything, probably," Harbaugh said. "They made a couple nice plays. ⊠I'd like for us to find a way to stay on the field more."
