The wait ended the same way it did the past two weeks. Lamar Jackson won't play Sunday.
The Ravens on Saturday ruled their quarterback out of Sunday's AFC North game against the Cincinnati Bengals, downgrading him from questionable as he continues to recover from a high sprain of his left ankle. Tyler Huntley will make his third straight start, with Baltimore (4-2) trying to bounce back from last week's 13-10 loss in Cleveland against a Bengals team coming off its bye.
It will be the third consecutive game Jackson has missed since getting hurt on the final play of the first half of the Ravens' Oct. 4 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Limited All Week, Then a Downgrade
The decision closes a week in which Jackson's availability looked more realistic than at any point since the injury. He was in uniform at the start of practice Wednesday for the first time in nearly three weeks, was a limited participant all three days, and carried a questionable designation into the weekend on Friday's injury report.
But Jackson himself made clear on Friday that practicing and playing were two different thresholds — and that the second one depended on whether he could run, cut and plant like himself.
"Right now, I'm headed in the right direction," Jackson said Friday. "We'll see, hopefully."
He described the ankle as improving but still painful when he ran, even though walking no longer bothered him. "I can walk perfectly fine," he said.
What he wouldn't do, he said, was take the field just to say he played.
"I'm trying to plant how I plant," Jackson said. "The pain tolerance, just trying to move how I move. If I can't do that... I feel like I'm doing a disservice, if anything."
He put it even more bluntly a moment later, saying there was no point in going out there and standing in the pocket as a stationary target. Playing hurt in that way, he said, would amount to being selfish rather than helping the team.
Jackson also recalled the moment he went down against Tennessee, saying he couldn't put any weight on the foot and calling it "very, very, very painful." He's spent the time since in daily treatment — ice, massage and work to bring down the swelling.
Minter Left the Door Open Friday
Head coach Jesse Minter had framed the decision Friday as one that would rest heavily on how Jackson felt and how he responded to his first real work in weeks, rather than any specific benchmark.
"It's just one of those injuries where it's a combination of what [Lamar Jackson] can do, how he can move, how he can do things and how effective he feels like he can be," Minter said.
Minter had also said the team was prepared to wait as long as necessary, raising the possibility of a game-time call. In the end, Baltimore made the move a day early, giving Huntley and the offense a clear plan for Sunday.
"One thing I'll say about Lamar [Jackson] is there's nobody that — he's super competitive, and he wants to play," Minter said Friday. "So, again, it's going to be a decision based on how he feels, how effective he feels like he can be and how we feel like it looks."
A Familiar Pattern
The Ravens have been cautious with Jackson for a reason. Last season, a hamstring injury knocked him out of a Week 4 game against Kansas City and sidelined him for the next three games, and he never looked fully like himself for long stretches after returning.
Jackson had also pushed back Friday on a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that described the injury as a deltoid sprain rather than a high-ankle sprain, saying he was going by what Ravens head athletic trainer Adrian Dixon told him. Saturday's announcement brings the team's description in line with the high-ankle diagnosis.
Huntley Gets Another Shot
Huntley is 1-1 as the starter this season, leading a 30-23 overtime win in Atlanta before the offense sputtered in Cleveland. Baltimore scored all 10 of its points in the first quarter of that game and didn't find the end zone again. Huntley is 6-7 as a starter over his Ravens career.
He said Friday that his preparation doesn't change based on who ends up starting. "Just like every week, I just prepare to play, and once we get to Sunday, we're going to see," Huntley said.
Asked how the offense gets back to scoring, he kept it simple: "We just have to. That's what we are going to have to do to win. That's what's required, so we have to."
The history against Cincinnati without Jackson isn't kind. Since 2019, the Ravens are 0-3 against the Bengals, playoffs included, when someone else has started at quarterback. Baltimore is 7-12 in regular-season games Jackson has missed in his career, while he's 11-3 as a starter against Cincinnati.
Huntley will be working with a center who is still settling in. With Jovaughn Gwyn on injured reserve, Cam Jurgens is back after clearing concussion protocol and practiced fully all week. Huntley said Jurgens has been asking about play calls even when he isn't taking reps, and praised how quickly he's grasped the offense.
Why the Timing Hurts
Jackson's absence comes at the front end of the toughest stretch on Baltimore's schedule. Five of the Ravens' next six opponents, including Cincinnati, rank among the league's top nine teams by FTN's measure. After the Bengals, Baltimore travels to Buffalo before returning home for a Thursday night game against Jacksonville.
The Bills game is now the realistic target for Jackson's return, and the Ravens will spend the coming week preparing him for that possibility. The AFC North gives them little room to wait: Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh all entered the weekend at 4-2, with the Bengals a half-game back at 3-2.
Ravens-Bengals Injury Report
Jackson isn't the only significant loss. Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, Baltimore's sack leader, is out with a pectoral injury that will end his season. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) is also out, and cornerback T.J. Tampa Jr. (knee), designated to return from injured reserve, is doubtful. Defensive tackle Broderick Washington (ankle) is questionable.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and defensive lineman Calais Campbell sat out Friday's practice for rest and carry no designation. Cincinnati has no players with a game status.
Ravens
- QB Lamar Jackson (ankle) — out
- OLB Tavius Robinson (pectoral) — out
- S Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) — out
- CB T.J. Tampa Jr. (knee) — doubtful
- DT Broderick Washington (ankle) — questionable
Bengals
- No players carry a game designation
Kickoff Information
Matchup: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
When: Sunday, Oct. 25, 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
TV: CBS — Jim Nantz (play-by-play), J.J. Watt (analyst)
Radio: 98 Rock (97.9 FM) and WBAL NewsRadio (AM 1090 / FM 101.5)