The Denver Broncos are relatively healthy entering Week 9’s tilt vs. the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos had two players who didn’t practice on Wednesday, while the Ravens had five.

One of those five players was Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is listed with a back/knee injury designation. It would seem to be good news for the Broncos, if the injuries Jackson is nursing are significant enough to cause him to miss practice, but Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s comments threw a wet blanket on those hopes.

“Rest day,” Harbaugh said on Wednesday. “He’s been playing great. We got a lot of football in front of us here. We got a game, quick game, another big game coming up. So, that was warranted today.”

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Jackson is once again playing at an MVP level and being the savvy veteran that he is, the Ravens know how to manage him when he gets banged up in-season. A rest day here and there during the practice week can make all the difference.

There’s no reason to expect anyone other than Jackson under center for the Ravens on Sunday, so the Broncos will be gearing up to that end. With starting safety P.J. Locke still nursing that thumb injury that cost him Week 8, he didn’t practice on Wednesday, nor did Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who’s listed with a knee.

Like Jackson, McGlinchey’s inactivity in Wednesday’s practice is probably more about giving him a veteran rest day than it is a glaring injury, although it is a situation to monitor. McGlinchey’s knee ailment caused him to miss four games this season on injured reserve.

The Broncos didn’t specifically list McGlinchey’s absence as a rest day, though. And that is conspicuous, considering that defensive end Zach Allen was listed as limited with a ‘rest’ designation.

We’ll continue to monitor both teams’ practice reports as the game week marches on.

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