The prevailing thought before Tuesday was that Carl Davis would be absent from that afternoon’s practice because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the Ravens’ 27-10 victory at the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Instead, the starting defensive end joined the rest of his teammates for what amounted to a walk-through at the team’s training facility in Owings Mills.

Afterward, Davis said he plans to play Saturday when the Indianapolis Colts visit M&T Bank Stadium.

“I had an unfortunate end to the game, but I’m fighting through it, and I’ll be all right,” he said. “I want to be here for my teammates, and I don’t want to miss this opportunity to be out there. So I should be good by then.”

Davis injured his shoulder — which was initially thought to be a leg ailment — in the second quarter Sunday and did not play in the second half. Davis acknowledged that he thought the injury could end his season.

“It did seem serious,” he said. “I was in a lot of pain at that point. But fortunately, my body was able to bounce back from it and recover quickly. And obviously, we’ve still got the whole week to prepare and let it heal some more. So I should be all right.”

Davis doesn’t have the name recognition that outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, middle linebacker C.J. Mosley and free safety Eric Weddle might have, but he has been a critical cog in the defense. Since Brent Urban went down with a Lisfranc foot injury that ended his season Sept. 24, Davis has stabilized the five-technique position, starting eight games, including six of the past seven. He has made a career-high 17 tackles and added a half-sack.

And with the team in the hunt for one of two wild-card berths in the AFC playoffs, Davis said he is unwilling to sit or stand on the sideline.

“I’ll be ready to play,” he said.

‘Confident’ Allen: Buck Allen’s team-high 70-yard effort on 13 carries in Sunday’s win might have been surprising to some observers. After all, his 70-yard showing equaled his output from the team’s past four games, and the 13 attempts were his most since a 17-touch outing Oct. 26 against the Miami Dolphins.

Allen’s effectiveness was especially timely as starter Alex Collins was limited to 19 yards on 12 attempts by the Browns defense. But the running back hardly blinked an eye when asked Tuesday about perhaps his most productive showing in the past nine games.

“I felt great,” Allen said. “I’m confident in myself and I always believe in myself, and I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Flacco’s progress:The offense’s recent surge would seem to coincide with better play from QB Joe Flacco. But the quarterback sidestepped whether he has been healthier since a back injury forced him to miss the entire preseason. “I have pretty much felt the same all throughout the year,” he said two days after throwing for a season-high 288 yards and one touchdown and rushing for another score. “It is obviously progressed a little bit at a time, but I wouldn’t say it has been anything earth-shattering from Week 2, 3, 4 and 5 to where we are now.”

edward.lee@baltsun.com

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