OWINGS MILLS Matt Skura Jersey , Md. (AP) — a third straight start Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens‘ offensive linemen are gearing up for another delightful afternoon of plowing straight ahead as part of the team's suddenly formidable running game.Joe Flacco didn't practice Wednesday and is still waiting to get medical clearance following a hip injury that's kept him sidelined since Nov. 4."There's a process involved that has to do with the doctors and trainers and his rehab," coach John Harbaugh said. "He's progressing really well." Though Harbaugh did not rule out the possibility of Flacco playing Sunday in Atlanta, all signs point to Jackson running the offense when the Ravens (6-5) seek their season-high third straight victory.With Jackson and rookie Gus Edwards leading the way, Baltimore rushed for 267 yards in a win over Cincinnati and another 242 last week in a 34-17 rout of Oakland. The Ravens are looking more of the same against the Falcons (4-7), who own the league's 25th-ranked rushing defense."We're having a blast," rookie right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said Wednesday.The Ravens opened the second half against the Raiders with a 13-play drive that included 12 runs, the last by Jackson for a touchdown and a 20-10 lead."As an offensive lineman, it feels great to be able to do that," guard Alex Lewis said. "It's always fun running the ball. I'm excited what's to come."Baltimore lost three in a row before Jackson took over for Flacco and started getting the ball to Edwards, who replaced Alex Collins (foot injury) as the featured back. Employing the run-pass option — a staple for Jackson at Louisville but a rarity in the NFL — the Ravens are averaging 5.30 yards per carry over the past two weeks.Jackson ran for 117 yards against the Bengals and another 71 last week. Edwards, who started the season on the practice squad, has back-to-back 100-yard games."It definitely opens up your run game, having Lamar in there compared to Joe," Lewis said. "Joe's got a cannon (for an arm), but Lamar has feet and makes defenders miss. It's helped us out tremendously."Hard to believe, but the Ravens have leaped back into the playoff picture with a rookie quarterback and an undrafted rookie running back operating behind a rookie right tackle.It all begins with Jackson taking the snap, then either handing the ball to Edwards or dashing off on his own. Jackson's speed and elusive qualities are almost impossible to duplicate in practice."He's got such quickness and speed Authentic Za'Darius Smith Jersey , like a wide receiver or a corner has, but he's behind center," Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said. "You can simulate that with a receiver for the run plays, but it's not as authentic because he can't step back and rip the passes."Edwards spent four years at the University of Miami before transferring to Rutgers for his senior year. He signed as a free agent with Baltimore in May, was assigned to the practice squad in September and activated to the 53-man roster on Oct. 13.After much diligence and an impressive showing on the practice field, the 6-foot-1, 240-pounder is now a starter."Hard work pays off, and he has continued to do that," Harbaugh said. "Talent is part of it. But he's a great example for kids, that if you take the right approach you can achieve anything."There's no bluster to Edwards, who speaks softly and has a reputation for being very low key."Very serious minded. He's kind of all business," Harbaugh said. "It takes a real funny thing to get him to smile. You'd better be on your joke game."Lately, Edwards have given Baltimore's offensive line a reason to grin."They get pumped out there when we're running and getting positive yards," Edwards said. "They're jumping around, looking at the sideline, hoping we continue going. They love it." The bar was set high for Brian Urlacher when he joined the Chicago Bears as a first-round middle linebacker back in 2000.Few teams are as closely identified with one position as the Bears are at middle linebacker with players like Bill George, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary personifying the Monsters of the Midway on the way to Hall of Fame careers.Urlacher lived up to that lofty standard and will join that talented trio in Canton when he is inducted into the hall on Saturday."It wasn't even on my mind when I played," Urlacher said after getting voted into the hall on his first try in February. "I didn't think this would ever be a possibility. So many things have to go right. You have to stay healthy Youth Maurice Canady Jersey , you have to play well, you've got to win some games, do some things. This is the summit of playing football right here."Urlacher did not make himself available for interviews leading up to inductions.Urlacher was a different type of middle linebacker than his predecessors in Chicago, the perfect piece in the NFL of the 2000s with the speed and coverage skills that allowed him to play safety in college. That helped him match up against running backs and tight ends and roam sideline to sideline.He also had the ability to drop deep into coverage, making him the perfect middle linebacker on coach Lovie Smith's Tampa 2 defense that Urlacher helped make so stout in Chicago on the way to a Super Bowl appearance following the 2006 season."I've had an opportunity to be around so many great linebackers, but some of them are just made for the position," Smith said. "Derrick Brooks is made to be a Will linebacker, an outside guy in our system. Brian Urlacher, you can't draw it up any better. Everybody knew that he looked the part and he played the part."Smith knew about Urlacher's physical talents when he arrived as the new coach in Chicago in 2004 after Urlacher had made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons, and was a two-time All-Pro. An early team meeting taught him about Urlacher's mentality when he told the defense he expected the unit to lead the league in turnovers. Urlacher stayed after and set the tone for those dominant Bears defenses."He said: 'Coach, let me get this right. In order for us to lead the league we have to wait for the offense to turn the ball over?'" Smith recalled. "That was the first time I'd looked at it that way. Brian called it a takeaway on the defensive side of the ball. The offense turns the ball over. Defensively, your job is to take the ball away every time. No one bought into us taking the ball away as much as Brian did."No defense took the ball away more than the Bears in the nine seasons Smith and Urlacher were together, with 292 takeaways. No linebacker other than fellow 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Ray Lewis took the ball away more than Urlacher during his 13-year career: 22 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries.Urlacher also had 41陆 sacks and finished his career as the Bears' all-time leading tackler. He won awards as the top defensive rookie in 2000, Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, earned five All-Pro selections, eight Pro Bowl bids and helped the Bears win four division titles."Brian was the best," said Packers quarterback and longtime NFC North rival Aaron Rodgers. "He was probably one of the smartest players I ever played against. Just a great feel for the scheme, the game http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mark-andrews-jersey , reading his keys. Just incredibly instinctual player. Great hands. Average elusiveness, I can say that, because I tackled him one time. But one of the best to ever do it at that position in an era where some of the louder guys maybe got the attention — expecting the middle linebacker to be a loud yeller or rah-rah guy. Brian went about it in a very classy way. Played the game the right way and was an incredible player."Urlacher was not always destined for greatness. He was lightly recruited out of high school and ended up at New Mexico after Texas Tech didn't offer him a scholarship.But he thrived with the Lobos and made himself a first-round pick."I've had some great freshmen, but from the minute he arrived, every coach stood up and took notice," former New Mexico coach Dennis Franchione said. "I remember sometime in the first 10 days of two-a-days, six of the nine assistant coaches came in — although independently, I didn't think they talked about it — they said, 'Coach, when are you going to play Urlacher.' And I said, 'I'm not sure yet.' They said, 'I'll take him at my position.' I think that was everybody except the quarterback coach, the line coach and the receivers coach. That's how versatile he was. ..."He was a heat-seeking missile from the time he arrived on campus. Not only that, he was a really coachable, bright young man. Made other people better. You can just go on and on about him."AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman contributed to this report.