Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson did not practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday coming off a disappointing loss. Listed as a rest day on Wednesday, the Ravens attributed yesterday’s absence to back and knee injuries. No alarm bells are going off just yet, however, even if Jackson missing practice time is very abnormal.
The Ravens have a short turnaround coming up, playing the Denver Broncos on Sunday and then the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday. HC John Harbaugh acknowledged “another big game coming up”, saying Jackson’s time out of practice “was warranted”.
It is unclear when Jackson may have sustained back and knee injuries, having played all meaningful snaps this season. They are presumably minor, but if he misses practice today, it will obviously become a major storyline for the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson is having one of the best seasons of his career, statistically, a favorite to repeat as league MVP. He is 158-of-236 passing for 2,099 yards with 17 touchdown passes to two interceptions. He also has 501 rushing yards and two touchdowns, taking a career-low in sack percentage. He does have five fumbles, but that is not abnormal given the number of times he touches the ball. That is tied for fourth in the league, behind the Steelers’ Justin Fields and two others.
Despite Jackson’s stellar play this season, the Ravens are only off to a 5-3 start. They lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the opener, which is understandable, but have also lost to a pair of two-win teams. Most recently, they lost to the Cleveland Browns, though the defense shares the blame. DB Kyle Hamilton had a shot at a game-sealing interception just before the game-winning touchdown.
Lamar Jackson did get the Ravens to the Browns’ 24-yard line with 22 seconds left to play even after that but could not complete a second comeback. He had already led a comeback drive earlier in the quarter, to be fair.
The Ravens’ defense has been a major problem this year, ranking 26th in points allowed and 25th in yards allowed. They have faced the fewest number of rushing attempts, and rank first in yards allowed per carry. Conversely, they rank 32nd in passing yards allowed, and 17th in passing touchdowns allowed. Jackson isn’t used to needing to overcome these issues.
This season, Baltimore has allowed 12 fourth-quarter touchdowns, five more than in any other quarter. In other words, Jackson finds himself competing against his own defense more often than not, the Ravens often giving up multiple touchdowns in the final 15 minutes. Conversely, the Ravens only have six fourth-quarter touchdowns, their second-lowest scoring quarter after the first.
If by some chance Lamar Jackson doesn’t go on Sunday, the Ravens will go with Josh Johnson at quarterback. Johnson has started one game for the Ravens in the past, a losing effort. He is 1-8 in his career with 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Sitting at 5-3, they certainly don’t want to go on a sudden slide and risk falling out of the division race.
