Ed Reed Injury: Updates on Ravens Star's Injury

Ed Reed made a game-changing interception late in the Baltimore Ravens' 20-13 win over the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, but he ended up limping off the field in the final seconds after hitting the deck hard on a Hail Mary attempt.

Reed had been shaken up on a couple other plays throughout the course of the game, but he seemed to be in considerable pain as he was helped off the field by Ray Lewis and Jimmy Smith.

Thankfully for the Ravens, Reed may not be hurt all that bad. Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer said Reed had simply rolled his ankle:

According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, a closer look at Reed's ankle revealed no significant damage:

Who's the Backup?

Per ESPN.com, Reed is backed up by Haruki Nakamura and Emanuel Cook. Both players were used sparingly during the regular season.

Devastation Scale: 5

The Ravens are advancing to the the AFC Championship Game, where they will play the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. 

It sounds like Reed is going to be able to play. Assuming he does, the Ravens will have dodged a pretty major bullet. Reed can make all the plays in pass defense, so they're going to need him against Tom Brady and New England's offense.

Timeline for Return

Barring any setbacks, it stands to reason that Reed will be able to play in the AFC Championship Game. He may be less than 100 percent, but he'll be okay.

What They're Saying

Immediately after Reed limped off the field, Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated put the blame on Baltimore's offense:

Greg A. Bedard of The Boston Globe, on the other hand, is already looking ahead:

The AFC Championship Game will be played next Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET.