Lamar Jackson Is Out Against the Bengals With a High Ankle Sprain: What a Third Straight Huntley Start Means
The Ravens ruled Lamar Jackson out against Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon, and the reason finally has a name. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported Friday that Baltimore’s medical staff has diagnosed the injury as a high ankle sprain, not the generic “ankle sprain” the team had been listing for three weeks.
That distinction matters. High ankle sprains do not respond to rest the way low ankle sprains do, and they routinely cost quarterbacks a month. Jackson has now been out since Oct. 4, when he left the second half of a win over Tennessee, and Sunday will be his third straight missed game.
He Was Listed as Questionable 24 Hours Earlier
Jackson practiced on a limited basis three times this week and went into Saturday listed as questionable, with head coach Jesse Minter calling him a game-time decision. Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Banner reported the downgrade Saturday afternoon, and the Ravens confirmed it.
Jackson told reporters he is “just trying to move how I move,” and added, “If I can’t do that, I can’t help my team.” Via Zrebiec, he described the sprain as painful but said he is headed in the right direction, with the swelling down after nearly three weeks off.
Minter’s read was simpler: Jackson is “super competitive and he wants to play.”
What Baltimore Loses
Jackson is 29 and a two-time AP MVP, and the four games he did play this season were arguably the most efficient passing of his career. He completed 70.8 percent of his throws, a career high, for 967 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. He carried the ball only 19 times, the lowest rate of his career, and averaged 7.6 yards when he did.
He is also the most expensive player on the roster, on the five-year, $260 million deal he signed in April 2023, with a $51.25 million base salary this season.
Tyler Huntley Has Done This Before
Huntley makes his third consecutive start. He is 1-1 this season and 6-7 overall as a Ravens starter. Two weeks ago he led a 30-point overtime win in Atlanta. Last week he went to Cleveland and lost 13-10, with Baltimore setting season lows for both points and total yards and surrendering the AFC North lead to the Browns.
His only previous start against Cincinnati was the 2022 wild-card loss. Asked how the offense gets fixed, Huntley said, “We just have to.”
The Division Is the Real Cost
Baltimore is 4-2 and hosting a 3-2 Bengals team. The Ravens also announced Saturday that outside linebacker Tavius Robinson is going on injured reserve with a season-ending pectoral injury and that safety Jaylinn Hawkins is out with a knee issue. Outside linebacker Adisa Isaac was elevated from the practice squad and guard Kyle Hergel was signed to the 53-man roster.
The team will prepare Jackson for a possible Week 8 return against Buffalo. That is a target, not a timeline, and nobody in the organization has put a number on the severity.
A four-win team losing its MVP quarterback for a month in a division where the Browns are now in front is the kind of stretch that decides a season in October. Baltimore has already given away one game it should have had in Cleveland. Sunday is the one where we find out whether Huntley can hold a floor, because the Ravens no longer have the cushion to find out slowly.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
.jpg){kind=link}