As he continues recovering from a thigh injury, will Baltimore Ravens WR Marquise Brown be playing today against the Browns? What is the latest on Brown’s injury status, how has he performed so far this season, and what alternatives do the Ravens have if he doesn’t play?
Update 11/28/21: According to the Ravens, Marquise Brown will be active tonight for their game against the Browns.
Is Marquise Brown playing tonight against the Cleveland Browns?
This is now the third week in a row that Brown has appeared on the Ravens’ injury report. In Week 10, a back injury had him limited, and it has been the thigh injury for the past two weeks. Brown has seen an improvement in Week 12 compared to Week 11. Last week, Brown did not practice until Friday, whereas he was limited on all three days this week.
Heading into Week 11, the Ravens ruled Brown out on Saturday. Baltimore gave him time after practice Friday to see how the injury responded to his appearance at practice. However, Brown’s injury is certainly appearing to improve based on the injury report. On Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Brown is expected to play Sunday night barring a setback.
Can he finish a strong season in 2021?
Brown is experiencing a breakout season in 2021. His numbers and performances were good through his first two years, but he has gone to a new level in 2021. The third-year wide receiver has 52 receptions on 82 targets, with 719 yards and 6 touchdowns.
When we compare Brown’s numbers to his first two seasons, the improvement is clear. Brown is averaging over 2 more receptions per game than his first two seasons (5.8 vs. 3.5). He has increased his output in yards per game from 45.1 to 79.9. Additionally, he is on pace to score double-digit touchdowns for the first time in his NFL career. Brown is also on pace to top 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career.
What options do the Ravens have if Brown cannot play?
The Ravens’ WR situation looks quite different from Brown’s first two seasons. They added Sammy Watkins as a veteran presence on the outside. Watkins is third on the team in targets with 39. However, he has come under criticism for his performances. The veteran receiver has caught just 56.4% of his targets and is yet to find the end zone.
In Brown’s absence in Week 11, TE Mark Andrews led the team with 10 targets. Andrews is second behind Brown in targets with 79. Andrews has caught 56 of those targets for 694 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Rookie WR Rashod Bateman continued to see his standard number of targets in Brown’s absence last week. He had averaged 7 targets per game coming into Week 11 and saw 6 targets against the Chicago Bears. The Ravens have eased Bateman into the season after he was injured during the preseason.
The player who saw a boost in his role in Brown’s absence was former Texas Longhorns WR Devin Duvernay. Week 10 saw him tie for his most targets in 2021 with 6, pulling in 4 of them for 37 yards. In the previous four games, Duvernay had averaged 2.5 targets per game.