Terrell Suggs: Baltimore Ravens Should Play Star LB Sparingly vs. Texans

Terrell Suggs will likely play for the Baltimore Ravens in their Week 7 matchup against the Houston Texans. The question, though, is how much should the star linebacker appear after returning earlier than expected from a torn Achilles he suffered in April.

He’ll be a game time decision, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

If Suggs were to in fact play on Sunday, it would mark one of the quickest returns from an Achilles tear by any athlete.

He’s apparently aware of the risks of coming back too soon from the devastating injury he suffered.

"That's always a concern," Suggs said, according to ESPN.com. "That's why I've got the people around me that I trust. We're going to make the decision as a group, whether it would be better for me to sit out or suit up."

Let’s be real, with or without Suggs, the Ravens are in for a battle against a Texans team that loves to pound the football.

Baltimore, partly because of the loss of Suggs, is no longer the stifling and dominant defensive unit that teams simply elected not even to attempt to run against.

The AFC is also a very, very average conference right now—the Ravens and Texans are the only teams with winning records. A loss to the Texans will not affect the Ravens’ playoff aspirations.

They’d be better served to rest Suggs and bring him back slowly rather than throwing him to the fire in a game that has very little significance.

That’s true because nothing other than home field advantage in the AFC championship is at stake in this one (if the Ravens and Texans both made it).

Besides, what could Suggs possibly do to help the onslaught of the Texans if he isn’t at 100 percent? With Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb already out and Suggs not at his best, it will be a long day for the struggling Ravens defense.