Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson left Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills with a thumb injury that required surgery and placed him on injured reserve, coach Jesse Minter announced after the game. It’s possible, Minter said, that the injury could end the season.
Jackson, playing for the first time since missing three weeks with a high ankle sprain, was injured on the Ravens’ first offensive snap of the day. He immediately went to the sideline after the play and was taken straight to the locker room before being released by the team.
The injury occurred after Jackson faked a handoff to running back Derrick Henry and returned to throw. As Jackson released the ball to wide receiver Zay Flowers, Bills linebacker Greg Rousseau beat Ravens right tackle Roger Rosengarten on the sideline and got into Jackson’s space. Jackson’s hand hit Rousseau’s arm in the follow-through.
“There’s no testimony without a trial,” Minter said of moving forward without Jackson. “We’re going to do everything we can to keep this thing going.”
Back-up quarterback Tyler Huntley filled in for Jackson, but he later left with a toe injury, forcing emergency third quarterback Joe Fagnano into action. Huntley was eventually subbed out and Minter said after the game that he was unsure of Huntley’s status moving forward. The Ravens host the Jacksonville Jaguars this week on “Thursday Night Football.”
Jackson returned to the field in Week 8 for the first time since leaving in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans. Without Jackson, the Ravens went 1-2, beating the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5 but dropping back-to-back divisional games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 and Week 7, respectively.
“I hope he’s okay,” Henry said of Jackson. “You don’t want that to happen to the leader of the team. … Wish him all the best, I’ll be praying for him, and hopefully we can get him before the end of the season.”
What We Learned in Week 8: Lamar Jackson is out with a thumb injury
Jonathan Jones
Here we go again for the Ravens
It’s starting to feel like one of those seasons for the Ravens. For all their inconsistency in all three phases, what this team can’t afford is for Jackson to miss more time. And that’s where it’s headed, with Jackson knocked out of the game on Baltimore’s first offensive play and at least four games into the game as he heads to IR.
A Jackson multi-week — and potentially season-ending — injury changes everything for the Ravens, who lost their third straight game and fell to 4-4. They can tread water with Huntley (if healthy) and maybe win a few more games, but they can no longer be considered a legitimate threat in the AFC. And you have to wonder if it might prompt general manager Eric DeCosta to sell — or at least stand pat — before the Nov. trade deadline. 10.
What’s worse is that the Ravens play one of the NFL’s toughest schedules the rest of the way. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer