OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram vowed to be ready for the Baltimore Ravens' first playoff game in a couple of weeks after straining his calf last Sunday.
Ingram, whose 15 touchdowns scored are tied for third in the NFL, injured his calf early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 31-15 win over the Cleveland Browns. On Thursday, he walked slowly through the locker room but he didn't have a noticeable limp. Ingram also wasn't wearing the protective boot that he sported when leaving the stadium Sunday.
"I'm smooth, I'm good," Ingram said Thursday. "I got some time. So, I will be ready for the first playoff game."
Asked whether there are doubts in his mind about playing in the postseason, Ingram said, "I have confidence that I'll be ready to go."
Ingram is dealing with a mild to moderate calf strain, and he's already been ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed last Sunday and won't play a meaningful game until they host an AFC divisional playoff game on either Jan. 11 or 12.
Ingram's injury was a non-contact one. He took a step back, which he said he's done "8 million times," and it felt like somebody kicked him in the back of his calf.
"I didn't know if Lamar [Jackson] had cleated me when he ran by but he didn't," Ingram said. "It just felt like somebody popped a balloon in my calf. It was kind of scary. You hear about that feeling a lot times when guys do more serious stuff. I'm just happy it wasn't serious like that."
Ingram, who was named to his third Pro Bowl last week, has played a major role in the NFL's No. 1 rushing attack, ranking No. 11 in the NFL in rushing with 1,018 yards. He said he has never dealt with a calf injury like this one in his nine-year NFL career.
He won't practice this week and he'll be replaced in the starting lineup on Sunday by Gus Edwards. The Ravens are 93 rushing yards away from setting the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season.
Durability has been one of Ingram's strengths. Sunday will mark the first time he's missed a game due to injury since 2015.