Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram might not be playing in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the veteran vowed Thursday to be ready for the upcoming playoffs.
Ingram came away with a calf strain in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 31-15 victory over the Cleveland Browns. He already has been ruled out for the upcoming game against the Steelers.
The 30-year-old, who is in his first season with the Ravens, was no longer wearing the protective boot that he had after the Browns game.
“I’m smooth; I’m good,” Ingram told reporters Thursday. “I got some time. I will be ready for the first playoff game.”
Currently with an AFC-best 13-2 record, the Ravens already have wrapped up a first-round bye in the playoffs as the AFC’s top-seeded team. After Sunday, they won’t play again until the divisional round on the weekend of Jan. 11-12.
Ingram finished the regular season with 1,018 yards rushing, second on the team behind quarterback Lamar Jackson. He was named to his third career Pro Bowl after scoring 10 rushing touchdowns and five more receiving.
It is the third 1,000-yard rushing season of Ingram’s career. He has 7,025 yards rushing over 121 career games and 60 touchdowns after playing his first eight seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
The Ravens enter Sunday’s game 93 yards away from setting an NFL record for rushing yards in a season.