McGahee Could Start Sunday

Ravens running back Ray Rice has a "significant" bruise on his knee, making him the most critical question mark heading into Sunday's AFC North showdown at the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers.

It is believed that Rice suffered a bruise on the front of his right knee after leaving in the fourth quarter Sunday. According to an observer, Rice walked out of M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday night with the help of a crutch, but he was basically forced to use it by the team's medical staff.

Losing Rice would be a significant blow because he is the only player to gain over 100 yards rushing against Pittsburgh in 38 games. A magnetic resonance imaging exam on Monday confirmed that there was no cartilage or ligament damage.

Coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that Rice still could start Sunday, when the Ravens (2-1) look to tie the Steelers(3-0) — who play without Ben Roethlisberger — atop the division.

"We'll just see how it goes," Harbaugh said. "You got to see how it heals throughout the course of the week."

If Rice is sidelined, the Ravens would replace him with Willis McGahee, their $3.6 million backup. The last time McGahee was the Ravens' feature back was the AFC championship game 21 months ago at Pittsburgh. He rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

McGahee brings a different style as a runner than Rice. While Rice uses change of direction to elude tacklers, McGahee delivers more of a punch. His stiff-arm at Oakland last season was perhaps the most memorable run of his Ravens career.

"Willis is 240 pounds and he brings it. He's a load," Harbaugh said. "I like the way Willis runs. I like his personality. I like the way he's practiced and the way he's prepared for the season. He'll be ready to go."

As the Ravens' red-zone running back last season, McGahee set career highs in yards per carry (5.0) and touchdowns (14). But there had been speculation that the Ravens were shopping around McGahee as recently as a week ago.

"Everybody on this team knows what Willis is capable of," tight end Todd Heap said. "We've seen him make play after play in this league for our team. It's good to have a guy of his caliber right behind Ray Rice. If Ray goes down, he's going to step up."

The results of Rice's test were viewed as positive by the organization. A bruise could sideline him for a week, but a sprain might have knocked him out for multiple weeks.

Rice injured his knee with about 10 minutes left in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Cleveland Browns. After catching a short pass over the middle, he tried to cut back and duck under nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin. But Rubin grabbed the back of Rice's jersey and forced him down to the ground. Rice's right knee bounced hard off of M&T Bank Stadium's FieldTurf.

He went to the huddle and initially lined up for the next play before Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco called a timeout. After the stoppage, Rice went to the bench, where the medical staff examined his knee.

Rice has had a slow start to this season after finishing second in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage (an average of 127.6) last season. He ranks 21st in total yards (91.7) after three games this year.

"There are going to be injuries throughout the course of the season," Harbaugh said. "Hopefully, we've positioned ourselves with good football players to overcome them. I think we've done that, especially at running back and other positions."

Harbaugh added, "Ray Rice is a good player. We'd sure rather have him."

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(baltimoresun.com)