AFC Championship Game, Ravens vs. Patriots injury report

The Ravens and Patriots are getting ready for the AFC Championship game on Sunday. These teams are familiar with each other as they faced each other in the AFC Championship game last year, when the Patriots won. A team's health can have a lot to do with success this deep in the postseason. Both the Ravens and the Patriots have dealt with injuries to key players in 2012, and are hoping that their best players will be on the field Sunday evening.

For the Ravens, only one player was held out of practice on Wednesday: cornerback Asa Jackson, who is suffering from a thigh injury. A few players were limited in practice, including running back Bernard Pierce, guard Gino Gradkowski and running back Anthony Allen. All other players on the injury report, including Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, Ed Reed and Torrey Smith, practiced fully.

For the Patriots, both tight end Rob Gronkowski and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard were held out of practice. Gronkowski with a forearm injury that has held him out much of the season, while Dennard was held out for reasons that are non-injury related. All other players on the practice report were limited, including running back Danny Woodhead, defensive end Trevor Scott, offensive lineman Nick McDonald, defensive end Chandler Jones and cornerback Marquice Cole.

Many games this late in the post season are won by the team that is healthier. Stay tuned throughout the week for more updates on both teams' injury reports.