Roquan Smith's status in doubt for Ravens' Monday night matchup with Chargers

The Baltimore Ravens might be without one of their key defensive cogs for Monday night's showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers.

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ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed on "The Pat McAfee Show" that All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith is "unlikely" to play due to a hamstring injury. Smith had been listed as questionable on the injury report.

"I'm not sure he's gonna play in the game," Schefter said. "I think it's unlikely he's gonna play in the game."

"So now, if you take Roquan Smith out of this game against a Charger team that likes to run the football, that's gonna be tough," ESPN's NFL insider added. "That's a tough loss for the Ravens if in fact he does wind up missing the game tonight."

Smith has not missed a game since being acquired from the Chicago Bears in 2022. The two-time All-Pro selection entered Week 12 tied for the NFL lead in tackles with 110 and recorded 13 tackles in last week's 18-16 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers before exiting the game early in the fourth quarter.

Fellow starting inside linebacker Trenton Simpson said the Ravens defense is ready for the challenge of stopping the surprising 7-3 Chargers without Smith.

"We'd love to have him out there, but we've been preparing," Simpson told reporters last week. "If he's not with us, we'll need to communicate well and be on the same page. I think everybody's going to be ready to step up."

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