Haloti Ngata

Dealing with a sprained right knee and right shoulder injury, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata didn't play a single snap during the Ravens' 55-20 win Sunday over the Oakland Raiders. Ngata was active, but missed his first game this season as he was rested ahead of key upcoming games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers. "We were hoping that we wouldn't have to play him," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "It turned out that we didn't have to play him. " Ngata was limited to two tackles over the previous two games, including no tackles against the Cleveland Browns.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too. RUNNING IT BACK On Sunday, the Ravens face a familiar foe in Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer, who tormented them when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Ravens do a great job of moving beyond injuries, not fretting about them publicly and not using them as excuses. However, I'd have to think that there is significant concern in the Castle about the health of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata . Ngata is dealing with knee and shoulder injuries and Harbaugh was noncommittal Monday when asked about whether he could be held back a little to make sure he's healthy for the end of the season....

Not often have the Ravens, who reveled in wreaking havoc with their pass rush under former defensive coordinators like Rex Ryan and Chuck Pagano, gotten close enough to the quarterback to create chaos inside the pocket this season. Their current coordinator, Dean Pees, is still searching for some solutions to rectify that. The numbers are alarming. The Ravens are tied for 26th in the league with 13 sacks, and a lack of consistent pressure on quarterbacks is probably the main reason why the Ravens defense is ranked 22nd against the past despite its depth and talent in the secondary.

Defensive end Pernell McPhee missed his second straight day of practice because of a thigh injury, and he was not alone. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata also sat out Thursday's session. Ngata, who practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, is dealing with an injured right shoulder. Cornerback Jimmy Smith (groin) and wide receiver Jacoby Jones (foot) participated on a limited basis for the second consecutive day. Eleven players practiced fully for the second straight day. They were safeties Ed Reed (labrum)

The most important thing for the Ravens as they prepare for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday is to get Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata healthy. Without Ngata, the second half of the Ravens' 2012 season could go south in a hurry. The Ravens are already without cornerback Lardarius Webb and inside linebacker Ray Lewis. Both are expected to miss the season with injuries, and they were two of the team's top tacklers. Ngata might be the best tackle in the NFL, but played the past three games with an MCL sprain and shoulder injury.

Ravens All-Pro outside linebacker Terrell Suggs could play Sunday against the Houston Texans. The Ravens on Saturday activated the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year from the physically-unable-to-perform list, a procedural move required under league rules for him to be eligible to play. The team has decided to play Suggs if he feels and looks good after pregame warm-ups, according to sources familiar with the situation. The Ravens have until one hour before the game to designate their inactive players.

The loss of inside linebacker Ray Lewis to a torn right triceps suffered in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 31-29 win against the Dallas Cowboys saps the Ravens of their leading tackler and emotional sparkplug. But according to a pair of NFL Network analysts, the defense should fare fine even without the 13-time Pro Bowler. Speaking on “Thursday Night Kickoff,” former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk pointed out that the unit hasn't been exactly suffocating through the first six games of the season and that was with Lewis in the starting lineup.