minnesota vikings

Ravens Pro Bowl outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil isn't practicing for the third consecutive day due to a sprained ankle suffered on Thanksgiving against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Though he's not posting gaudy numbers, quarterback Joe Flacco has strung together two consecutive solid games, completing 67 percent of his passes for 524 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

There are few aspects of the Minnesota Vikings' 30th-ranked defense that jump off the game film in any particularly positive way. Veteran defensive end Jared Allen is a notable exception.

It's about time I started getting some of these right. So as the Ravens look to keep it going against Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings, I hope to do the same with these bold predictions.

The Ravens are bracing for a pivotal encounter against Peterson that represents the greatest test so far for their revamped group of inside linebackers. Since Ray Lewis retired in February, Daryl Smith has stabilized the middle linebacker spot while playing opposite a platooning group of weak-side inside linebackers in Jameel McClain, Josh Bynes and rookie Arthur Brown.

Chuck Foreman, meet Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. "It would be a joy to run into Earl some day," said Foreman, who's from Frederick and played seven years with the Minnesota Vikings.

Ravens strong-side linebacker Elvis Dumervil remained out of practice, leaving his status for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings up in the air.

Early in the season, before sweater weather arrived, fans could head to the restrooms when it was time for Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to kickoff. Heck, opposing kick returners probably could have joined them.

Nearly a week after his train-wreck collision with Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Le'veon Bell, cornerback Jimmy Smith was able to smile about it in the Ravens' locker room.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's recent improved play has coincided with his decision to get out of the pocket more and use his feet to create opportunities.

Henderson lost his starting job at middle linebacker to Audie Cole. The 27-year-old was arrested Nov. 19 in Minnesota on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, but hasn't been charged.

A roundup of NFL experts' picks for Thursday's game between the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now that the NFL season is here, I'm putting a twist on my weekly Blogger on Blogger series. Each week, I hope to enlist a blogger who regularly writes about the Ravens' opponent to help me break down the game. This week, I exchanged emails with Christopher Gates, who blogs about the Vikings for The Daily Norseman.

Vikings return tickets for Sunday's game against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium

Before the Ravens square off with Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson on Sunday, they'll spend this week chasing around someone imitating Peterson's powerful running style.

This hasn't been the season that veteran wide receiver Greg Jennings wide receiver envisioned when he defected from the Green Bay Packers to the rival Minnesota Vikings.

When the Ravens traded for Eugene Monroe two months ago, the belief was that he would immediately upgrade the left tackle position and the hope was that he would become one of the team¿s best linemen.

While there is more than one way to build an offensive line, and draft position and cap constraints may shape those philosophies, the consensus is that the biggest requirement is patience.

Tight end Dennis Pitta saw a hip specialist in New York on Tuesday and he remains on track to make his 2013 regular-season debut Sunday against the Vikings.

Only four current Ravens defenders were on the roster when the team last played the Minnesota Vikings in 2009. Those who remain have not-so-fond memories of trying to tackle Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

Ravens starting cornerback Jimmy Smith returned to practice Wednesday after being cleared under the NFL concussion testing protocol.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was fined $100,000 for his sideline interference last week where he nearly collided with Ravens kickoff returner Jacoby Jones.

A look at some other items national media outlets have written this week regarding the Ravens' victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and their upcoming game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Each week, Baltimore Sun reporters Aaron Wilson and Matt Vensel look back at the Ravens' previous game and that of their next opponent.

Joe Flacco silenced anyone still clamoring for the wildcat offense, which disappeared against the Steelers days after the quarterback called it a high school offense.

Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston weighs in on the Mike Tomlin sideline incident, Michael Oher and more Ravens-related topics.

The six 5-6 teams have been whittled down to just two 6-6 squads, the Ravens and the Miami Dolphins.

Their postseason hopes on life support less than two weeks ago, the Ravens woke up Friday in the AFC's sixth-and-final playoff slot.

Vikings have seen three players arrested in three weeks, the latest being linebacker Erin Henderson.

Josh Bynes got the majority of snaps at weak-side linebacker Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers despite the fact that Jameel McClain started.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin drifted onto the field with his back turned to the play in the third quarter Thursday night, narrowly avoiding a collision with Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones during a long kickoff return.

The Ravens are very much back in playoff position and they can thank Joe Flacco's arm, Justin Tucker's foot and the Pittsburgh Steelers' Emmanuel Sanders' hands.

Tight end remains on injured reserve-designated to return, expected to be activated prior to Vikings game

Dennis Pitta remains on injured reserve-designated to return and wasn't activated prior to today's NFL transaction deadline, meaning he's not eligible to play in Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

The statuses of Ravens Pro Bowl nose tackle Haloti Ngata and starting tight end Dennis Pitta remains undetermined for Sunday's game against the New York Jets. However, Pitta is regarded as unlikely to play.

With a 4-6 record, the Ravens' playoff hopes now hinge on the team's ability to protect its home field, which is one thing that they've done pretty well this season.