The Ravens’ quarterback situation unraveled fast in Buffalo, and by the time the first half was over, they were down to their third option.
Lamar Jackson returned Sunday after missing three games with a high ankle sprain, but his comeback lasted just one snap. On his first pass attempt, his right hand hit Buffalo linebacker Greg Rousseau’s arm, and Jackson immediately reacted to the contact. He looked down at his hand, flashed his thumb to trainers and left the field with a towel wrapped around it.
Jackson had been listed as questionable before the game, but the Ravens ruled him out before the first quarter ended. He later came back to the sideline in the third quarter wearing a brace on his hand.
The injury was the latest turn in a stretch that began in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans, when Jackson suffered the ankle injury that kept him out for four games. Jackson later told reporters it was a high ankle sprain and said it was “very painful.”
He had returned to practice before the Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, though he did not play in that loss, which dropped the Ravens to last in the AFC North. After that, he was a full participant in practice as Baltimore prepared for another tough AFC test, one that also carried the familiar matchup with Josh Allen and the Bills.
That showdown never really got going the way Baltimore wanted. Allen opened the game with a scoring drive and finished it himself with a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Tyler Huntley then stepped in for Jackson, but his time was short too. Huntley, who had gone 1-2 in his starts this season, played only 15 snaps before leaving with a toe injury in the second quarter.
That pushed undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano into the game for his first NFL action. Fagnano is the Ravens’ emergency quarterback, which means he can remain in the game only while Huntley is injured. Baltimore ruled Huntley out after halftime.
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