Ravens Lose Lardarius Webb, Ray Lewis For Year; Haloti Ngata Expected To Play On Sunday In Houston

While the Cowboys were finding a creative new way to lose in Baltimore yesterday, the Ravens, though ecstatic about the win, had to be sweating how today's MRIs on Lardarius Webb, Ray Lewis, and Haloti Ngata would turn out. Unfortunately for Baltimore, it appears that two-thirds of the news is devastating. Webb and Lewis suffered season-ending injuries via a torn ACL and triceps, respectively. Ngata, meanwhile, reportedly escaped with only "minor" damage to his MCL and is expected to play when the Ravens take on the Texans on Sunday.

I don't believe in cheering injury to anyone not named Albert Haynesworth, so I take no particular joy in knowing that the Ravens will be without one of their starting LBs and one of the best corners in the league for the rest of the season. Looking at how these developments affect Baltimore with some semblance of objectivity, there's no doubt that the Ravens' loss benefits the rest of the AFC, starting with the Texans on Sunday.

Baltimore's still plenty talented enough to win the AFC North, anything can happen in the playoffs, and playing at Baltimore remains a tough task for any visiting team....I don't even need to throw the "but" in there. John Harbaugh's squad is a considerably different team now than the one that started Week Six. How do you view the Ravens now, both in terms of Houston's opponent on Sunday and as a contender in the AFC?