AP

Talk of Ray Lewis playing against the Giants on Sunday may have been premature.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Ravens are not expecting Lewis back on the field either tomorrow against the Giants or next Sunday in the regular-season finale against the Bengals.

Lewis returning to the field for the Ravens’ first playoff game on January 5 or January 6 is still a possibility.

When Lewis suffered a triceps tear in Week Six, there was immediate speculation that it would end his season — and possibly his career, as Lewis has talked about retiring after this year. But Lewis was placed on short-term injured reserve, which means it’s still possible for him to make a return. If he is going to return at all, the Ravens will have to activate him from short-term injured reserve to the 53-man roster by next week, which is three weeks after he began practicing.

But a return to game action is apparently at least two weeks away.