Although Ravens defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan hasn't been ruled out for Saturday night's game, coach John Harbaugh acknowledged it will be difficult for the rookie to make it back in time to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC wild-card round.
Jernigan had a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday to examine his left foot injury, and Harbaugh emphasized that the second-round draft pick didn't suffer a Lisfranc foot sprain. Jernigan was carted off the field Sunday during the Ravens' 20-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in the regular-season finale.
"It's not a Lisfranc, so there's an opportunity possibly for him to get back Saturday night," Harbaugh said of Jernigan. "It will be close, it will be tough. But if he responds really well in the next two days, he actually could get back and play."
Meanwhile, Harbaugh said left tackle Eugene Monroe could return from an ankle injury that sidelined him for the Browns game. If Monroe can't go, then undrafted rookie James Hurst would start his second consecutive game.
"It's at least 50-50," Harbaugh said of Monroe. "We'll be pulling for that, but we'll see how it goes. I thought James played well. I really don't see a problem with James playing in there at all either. It's a real plus for us."
The Ravens got five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata back Monday from a four-game suspension for violating the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy for testing positive for Adderall. Ngata will be activated from the reserve-suspended list this week, necessitating a corresponding subtraction from the active roster.
"Haloti looked good," Harbaugh said. "It looked like he was in good shape. His weight is good. He has been training really hard from what he told me, and he looks that way. He's really appreciative of the opportunity to come back and make a little statement here in the postseason."
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