BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens ruled out quarterback Lamar Jackson for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, which means the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player will miss his third straight game.
On Saturday, the Ravens downgraded Jackson, who had been listed as questionable with a high left ankle injury after being limited all week in practice.
Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, who is 6-8 as a fill-in starter for the Ravens, will replace Jackson in an early critical AFC North game for Baltimore. After a disappointing loss at the Cleveland Browns last Sunday, the Ravens are looking to avoid falling to 0-2 in the division for the first time in 19 years.
After Friday’s practice, Jackson didn’t look like a quarterback who was close to full strength, limping to the lectern for his media session. He was also not seen as players walked off the field Friday, which suggests he did not finish practice.
Jackson said Friday that he was “heading in the right direction” and the decision would come down to pain tolerance.
“If I can just go out there and feel the pain a little bit, I can play,” Jackson said. “But if I’m restricted and I can’t do what I do, I’m not helping nobody. If I can just go out there and just be a statue and get hit, that’s not helping my team at all.”
Jackson injured his ankle on the last offensive snap before halftime in a win over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 4. It looked like Titans defensive end Jermaine Johnson II‘s shoulder landed on the outside of Jackson’s left ankle, which caused it to bend awkwardly.
In returning to practice this week, Jackson acknowledged it hurts when he tries to run and plant his foot.
“It’s just like trying to run … can’t put too much pressure [on the left foot],” Jackson said.
This month, Huntley led the Ravens to a 30-23 overtime win at the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 12 before struggling in a 13-10 loss at the Browns on Sunday.
The Ravens’ offense has lacked consistency without Jackson. In 14 quarters with Jackson this season, the Ravens have scored 116 points and 14 offensive touchdowns. In 10 quarters with Huntley, Baltimore has totaled 40 points and four touchdowns.
This marks the second straight season in which Jackson has missed multiple games due to injury. Last season, he missed three straight games due to a hurt hamstring.
On Friday, he expressed regret rushing back from it because he was never truly healthy the rest of last season.
“I feel like that was dumb a little bit because I was still hurting,” Jackson said. “I’m trying to help my team win, but I’m not to my full capability or not even close to it.”
The loss of Jackson is a significant one for Sunday’s game between the Ravens (4-2) and Bengals (3-2). Since 2019, the Ravens are 0-3, including the playoffs, against the Bengals without Jackson as their starting quarterback.
