(Image via Getty: Lamar Jackson)
The Baltimore Ravens have suffered another major setback ahead of their Week 7 showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. Lamar Jackson has officially been ruled out for Sunday’s game after the Ravens downgraded their star quarterback from questionable to out, putting an end to hopes of seeing him return to the field this weekend. However, despite making progress during the week, the two-time NFL MVP will have to wait a little longer before making his comeback.
Jackson had been working his way back from an ankle injury and returned to practice earlier this week for the first time since getting hurt.
Tyler Huntley set for another start as Ravens face Bengals
Huntley stepped into the starting role during Jackson’s absence, helping the Ravens secure an overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons before suffering a 13-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns last week. Baltimore enters the matchup with a 4-2 record, while Cincinnati sits at 3-2. With Jackson unavailable, Tyler Huntley is expected to start at quarterback for Baltimore for the third consecutive game. Now, Huntley faces another significant challenge against a Cincinnati team coming off its bye week. With the Ravens looking to bounce back from their loss to Cleveland, another game without Jackson puts additional pressure on Huntley and the rest of the offense.
The Bengals will look to take advantage of Jackson’s absence as they prepare to face their division rivals on Sunday.
The quarterback suffered an ankle injury during the Ravens’ October 4 win over the Tennessee Titans and has missed the team’s last two games.
“If I can’t do that, I can’t help my team,” Jackson said while discussing his recovery, emphasizing the importance of being able to move properly before returning to action. Jackson’s availability had been one of the biggest talking points surrounding Baltimore’s preparation for its divisional matchup with Cincinnati. He made it clear that returning before he could play effectively would not help his team.
Jackson previously explained that his recovery would depend on how well he could move rather than simply whether the swelling in his ankle had gone down.