Yanda injures knee, will have MRI today

Right guard hurt on meaningless play in second half

By Ken Murray

October 13, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS - In the final two minutes of a game already lost, the Ravens suffered one final indignity at Lucas Oil Stadium. They lost right guard Marshal Yanda on a play that didn't count.

Yanda went down hard on a 4-yard pass play that was erased by a penalty against the Indianapolis Colts.

The post-game prognosis was a sprained right knee. But magnetic resonance imaging was scheduled for today and indications are the injury could be serious. Yanda wore a supportive sleeve over his entire right leg and was on crutches in the locker room after the game.

On the same play, right tackle Willie Anderson, who had a tough day against the Colts' Robert Mathis, was also injured. But he was not on the post-game injury report.

The Ravens not only lost the game, 31-3, but they also took a beating. Left tackle Jared Gaither had shoulder and knee injuries but said neither would prevent him from playing.

"We'll overcome it as a unit," Gaither said. "We have guys that will step up, come out and fill in. We'll overcome it. We'll be all right."

The youngest offensive line in the league already was missing right tackle Adam Terry, out with a knee sprain. If Yanda can't play next week in Miami against the Dolphins, Chris Chester likely would start.

All by himself

The Colts lost two running backs to injury. Joseph Addai went out in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, and Mike Hart left in the second with a knee injury. That left the Colts' running game in the hands of Dominic Rhodes, who delivered a season-high 73yards in 25 carries against the Ravens' No. 1-ranked run defense.

His rushing total was deceiving, however, because he had 38 yards on one run. That means he gained 35yards on 24 carries the rest of the day.

The Ravens haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 24 games, going back to the 2006 season.

Long way to go

The Ravens lost the battle of field position to the Colts in a big way. Their average starting point was their own 18, compared with the Colts starting on their 37.

Adam Vinatieri kicked all four of his first-quarter kickoffs into the end zone, and Yamon Figurs twice chose to run the ball out, but with minimal success. He got only to the Ravens' 11- and 16-yard lines on possessions that ended with punts.

The Ravens' best start in the first half was at their 20 (three times). In the second half, they started at their 45 with the benefit of an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty against Dante Hughes, but that series ended with Joe Flacco's third interception.

Of Vinatieri's six kickoffs, four went into the end zone.

Figurs left the game early with a bruised left knee.

Zone defense

The Colts finally got the style of defense Tony Dungy was looking for. And Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron saw what he expected to see from Dungy's defense: zone coverage.

"They did exactly what we anticipated they would do," Cameron said. "They didn't put any wrinkles in, but they executed better. They played hard, they got to the ball, they got away from some of the man coverage.

"But we anticipated that. We told our guys, historically when they go back to fundamentals, they go back to zone coverage. We had to execute against zone coverage and we didn't do a good job of it."

End zone

Safety Tom Zbikowski left the game in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return. … For the first time after winning the pre-game coin toss, the Ravens chose to receive the kickoff and not defer to the second half. … The Ravens' inactives were cornerbacks Samari Rolle (shoulder) and Fabian Washington (shoulder), safety Dawan Landry (neck), guard David Hale, tackle Adam Terry (knee), wide receiver Marcus Smith and defensive tackle Lamar Divens. Troy Smith was listed as the third quarterback. … The Colts' inactives were defensive backs Bob Sanders (knee), Kelvin Hayden (knee) and Nick Graham, linebacker Buster Davis, offensive tackle Dan Federkeil, wide receiver Roy Hall (knee), defensive tackle Daniel Muir and defensive end Marcus Howard.

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Yanda injures knee, will have MRI today