Smith to Sit vs. Rams, Flacco To Start

Ravens quarterback Troy Smith was slated to start in St. Louis, but he was knocked out before the game even began.

Due to a viral illness, Smith will not be under center when the Ravens take on the Rams, leaving the offense in Joe Flacco's hands.

Flacco was originally only expected to play during the fourth quarter in preseason's third week, as Baltimore's coaches wanted to get a better look at Smith to gauge if he could be the starter on Day 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The first-round draft pick will likely play the entire contest, with Kyle Boller coming in only in an emergency.

Smith was supposed to get three quarters of work before giving way to rookie Joe Flacco for the fourth quarter.

Now, the Ravens' quarterback battle will truly carry on throughout the entire preseason, as head coach John Harbaugh recently intimated it would.

Programming note: Due to WBAL's Olympic coverage, tonight's Ravens-Rams game will air on WMAR-TV (ABC).