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Fans of the Baltimore Ravens, you may want to have a seat before reading further about Ray Lewis' injury. Are you sitting? Why were you standing to read in the first place?

UPDATE: Friday, November 30 at 11:43 a.m. ET by Alex Ballentine

Ray Lewis' return to the field still looks hopeful for December 16 against the Denver Broncos. According to a report from ESPN, Lewis is eligible to begin practicing Thursday and head coach John Harbaugh considers Lewis day by day.

The Ravens have a 4-1 record without Lewis this season, but it's still good to know for Ravens fans that the star linebacker could be back before the postseason gets started. Especially against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

---End of Update---

UPDATE: November 26 at 7:42 a.m. ET

Great news for Baltimore fans as the Ravens could have future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis back on the field before the end of the regular season. Yahoo! Sports' Michael Silver has the latest:

More than half a dozen sources told Yahoo! Sports that legendary linebacker Ray Lewis, believed to be lost for the season after suffering a torn triceps in mid-October, is expected to return before the end of the 2012 campaign, perhaps as early as the Ravens' Dec. 16 showdown with the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, October 17 at 2:53 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Although Ray Lewis was placed on IR by the Ravens, he is still eligible to return this season if healthy. ESPN's Staff has the latest on Lewis, who underwent surgery today.

The Baltimore Ravens haven't completely abandoned hope of having Ray Lewis back in uniform this season. Lewis tore his right triceps in Sunday's game against Dallas and underwent surgery on Wednesday, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder... ...Although coach John Harbaugh said Monday that the 37-year-old linebacker is out for the year, the Ravens placed Lewis on injured reserve with the "designated to return" tag. By rule, Lewis must sit out eight weeks before he can return this season. He will be eligible to practice after six weeks and permitted to return to play in Week 15 if he's healthy... ...'We have no idea whether that time frame has anything to do with the injury, but there's an opportunity and we're going to keep the door open,' Harbaugh said. 'We'll just see where that goes moving forward.'

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UPDATE: Wednesday, October 17 at 11:40 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

The Ravens officially placed Ray Lewis on injured reserve, according to Baltimore Suns' Aaron Wilson.

Ray lewis designated for injured reserve return harbaugh acknowledged its unlikely surgery today lardarius webb surgery today — Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) October 17, 2012

---END OF UPDATE---

UPDATE: Monday, October 15 at 4:02 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Devastating news for the Baltimore Ravens as the team's most prominent figure and emotional leader, Ray Lewis, will miss the rest of the 2012 season due to a torn triceps, according to the Ravens' official Twitter account.

#Ravens LB Ray Lewis has a triceps tear. Complete tear. He's out for the rest of the year. — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 15, 2012

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UPDATE: Sunday, Oct. 14 at 9:25 p.m. ET by Tim Keeney

According to NFL insider Jay Glazer, the Ravens believe they have some positive news regarding Lewis. Kind of:

Injury to Ray Lewis, docs don't believe tear in triceps is a complete tear but fear it is deep enough to finish him for the year. He was in too much pain for them to get a good gauge on the sideline. MRI in the AM to see the TRUE extent of it

A slight tear would likely be easier to recover from than a complete tear, but this still appears to be a killer injury for Baltimore. We'll keep you updated.

---End of update---

UPDATE: Sunday, Oct. 14 at 6:50 p.m. ET by Tim Keeney

Uh-oh, Ravens fans. The news regarding Ray Lewis doesn't look good (via the NFL Network's Jeff Darlington):

Very bad news for Ravens' defense: The team fears torn triceps for LB Ray Lewis and torn ACL for CB Lardarius Webb, according to sources. — Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) October 14, 2012

It's a good thing the Ravens have a terrific offense, because a defense that has been getting cut up is about to take a major hit.

Keep in mind that this news isn't official yet, but this is far from an optimistic report. We'll be sure to keep you updated as more becomes known.

---End of update---

Lewis apparently injured his triceps against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, according to the official Twitter account of the team:

Ray Lewis has a triceps injury. That's why he wasn't in the game late in the 4th quarter. —Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 14, 2012

If you can turn off those alarms that are currently blaring in your head for a second, we can address a few points here. For one, we still don't know how serious this injury is and probably won't know until Monday.

It's possible it isn't very serious at all.

Another factor to consider is just how much of a loss it would be if Lewis missed significant time. Yes, he's still a very good linebacker and the unquestioned leader of the Ravens, and they are better with him than they would be without him.

But I do think it's fair to say that his play this year has not been on par with the dominance we've become accustomed to seeing.

Coming into play on Sunday, the Ravens were 20th in the NFL in rushing defense. That ranking is sure to get worse after the Cowboys ran for 227 yards. And you simply can't ignore the decline in Lewis' game when discussing the team's poor rush defense.

Sure, Lewis leads the team with 57 tackles on the year. But he's looked as though he may have lost more than just a step, and many (like Peter King of Sports Illustrated) have wondered if the weight he lost in the offseason has affected him in the running game.

It feels almost sacrilegious to talk about him this way, but it has to be said: Lewis is nearing the end.

Still, if this injury is serious, it is a big-time blow to the Ravens and a defense that already appears far more vulnerable than it has in recent memory. With a 5-1 record and a Week 8 bye, the team has a cushion if Lewis needs to sit out a few weeks.

Anything more serious, and you can bet there is going to be a lot of anxiety in Baltimore. Lewis may not be the player he once was, but the Ravens can't afford to lose their heart and soul.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets never need help from the refs on the goal line.