Lamar Jackson will miss a third straight start Sunday — a high ankle sprain keeps Baltimore’s franchise quarterback out against Cincinnati.
By The Beat Writer — CelebnMusic247
Lamar Jackson is out again, and this time the wait felt crueler than the ruling. The Baltimore Ravens ruled their quarterback out on Saturday for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals because of an ankle injury, per Ravens Wire. Tyler Huntley will make his third consecutive start for the 4-2 Ravens.
Jackson had been listed as questionable after being limited in all three practices this week, per Ravens Wire. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Jackson took the majority of first-team repetitions on Friday, per Ravens Wire — the kind of detail that raises a building for 24 hours before the final report lowers it again.
A high ankle sprain, and a timeline with no shortcut
Jackson identified the injury himself on Friday as a high ankle sprain, per Ravens Wire. He has been sidelined since leaving Baltimore’s Oct. 4 victory over Tennessee at halftime, missing the games against Atlanta and Cleveland since, per Ravens Wire.
That diagnosis explains the pattern of this week. High ankle sprains are the injury quarterbacks can look close on — throwing, moving, taking reps — right up until the cutting and escaping that define Jackson’s game are asked for at full speed. Limited all week, first-team reps on Friday, out on Saturday is not indecision from Baltimore. It is the injury telling the truth in stages.
Huntley, to his credit, has kept the season upright. He has gone 1-1 in his two starts, completing 24 of 32 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns in the overtime win over Atlanta, where he added the winning rushing touchdown, and finishing 19 of 31 for 165 yards and a touchdown in the 13-10 loss at Cleveland, per Ravens Wire. Through three appearances he has completed 70.8 percent of his passes for 429 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, with a 99.8 passer rating and 64 rushing yards, per Ravens Wire.
The assignment now is specific: a rested Cincinnati team coming off its bye, at home, with Baltimore trying to avoid a second consecutive divisional loss, per Ravens Wire. Huntley does not need to be Jackson. He needs Baltimore’s possessions to end in points instead of the long scoreless stretches that cost the Ravens in Cleveland, where they went scoreless over the final three quarters, per Ravens Wire.
The 247 Take — The most important number in Baltimore this week is not Huntley’s rating — it is three, as in three straight starts without the franchise. The Ravens are surviving this, which is exactly what a backup is for, but survival has a shelf life in the AFC North, and Jackson’s ankle is now the division’s biggest weekly storyline.
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Sources: Ravens Wire (USA Today) | Fantasy Injury News
