Lamar Jackson’s return to Buffalo lasted one snap before the Ravens were staring at another quarterback problem.
Back after a three-week absence, Jackson took the field and immediately absorbed heavy pressure on his first dropback. Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau finished the play by striking Jackson’s right hand as the quarterback let go of an incomplete pass.
Jackson went straight for his hand, headed quickly toward the sideline and then back to the locker room for medical attention. CBS cameras later showed visible damage around the thumb, and Jackson appeared to be in significant pain.
Baltimore ruled him out before the first quarter was over.
A thumb injury on a quarterback’s throwing hand is the kind of issue that can linger, and this one raises questions not only for Thursday’s quick turnaround against Jacksonville, but beyond that as well. A former NFL head coach texted during the game that it looked serious, saying he has seen multiple quarterbacks take hits like that and that it often becomes a problem because of the tendons and ligaments around the thumb and the torque required to throw with velocity and accuracy.
That left Snoop Huntley back under center after consecutive games in which he and the offense failed to score in the second half with rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle calling plays for the first time this year. Baltimore had hoped Jackson’s return would jump-start a run game that has sputtered, with Derrick Henry looking his age at 32 behind a bad offensive line. Huntley, though, has not activated his legs and he cannot push the ball downfield.
The Ravens have won 70% of the regular-season games Jackson starts and are 7-14 without him. The bigger picture around the roster is already messy, with Jackson a de-facto free agent in 2027, a no-trade clause, no-franchise tag clause and an $85M cap hit. Baltimore also faces a $370M payroll next year that is heavy on bloated contracts and short on blue chip players.
There is also a growing drumbeat in NFL personnel circles that the Miami Dolphins will make a serious push for Jackson. He is a native of that area and spends his offseasons there.
The Ravens had maintained Jackson was “day-to-day” while he was out with a high-ankle sprain, a stretch in which he could barely run or practice for the most part.
Huntley was getting attention on the sideline after Baltimore cut the deficit to 10-7, while undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, a UCONN product, is the emergency third quarterback. The Ravens entered the game with only one AFC win, and losses to the Bills and Jaguars over five days would effectively end their season and could lead to veterans being sold at the trade deadline.
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Lamar Jacksons return from a high ankle sprain lasted only a snap before the Ravens were thrown into scramble mode against the Bills. Baltimore had hoped to get its offense back on track with its starting quarterback back under center, but the night quickly turned into a test of survival as the quarterback situation unraveled almost immediately.
Tyler Huntley then went down with a toe injury, and the Ravens were forced to turn to Joe Fagnano for his first NFL action. Huntley was ruled out after halftime, leaving Baltimore to navigate the rest of the game under emergency quarterback rules and with an offense that suddenly had far less margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
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Ravens Suddenly Face A QB Decision That Could Define Their Season
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For a team built around staying in the AFC race, the timing makes the situation even more delicate. Baltimore has already begun looking at possible trade candidates around the league, but any move would have to balance urgency with the reality of what it costs to stabilize the quarterback room in the middle of the season. [Read more 🡒]