Lamar Jackson didn’t wait long to send a message after going down with a thumb injury against the Bills: he expects to be back before the season is over.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Jackson told teammates soon after the Week 8 loss that he plans to return this season and wanted the Ravens to hold things together while he recovers. Rapoport said the message was basically, “Just stay alive.”
The injury is serious enough to keep Jackson out for a while. He is projected to miss at least six weeks, and the recovery could stretch closer to nine.
Rapoport reported that Jackson is having surgery to repair a fractured and dislocated thumb on his right hand. He was placed on injured reserve this week, but he has not been ruled out for the regular season, and he believes he can come back.
That gives Baltimore a clear temporary assignment: keep the season from slipping away before Jackson is ready again.
The Ravens acted quickly to shore up the quarterback spot, finalizing a trade on Friday for Jacoby Brissett. Baltimore sent a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals, and Brissett is expected to start against the Los Angeles Chargers on “Monday Night Football” on Nov. 16.
With Jackson pushing to return and Brissett now in place, the Ravens are still operating with some hope. Jackson could be back by early January, and Baltimore sits at 4-5 with its bye coming in Week 13.
The math is simple from here: stay in the race long enough for the MVP to get back on the field.
Jackson’s absence comes after Baltimore opened 3-1 behind his sharp play. He threw for more than 300 yards against Indianapolis, then posted 186 passing yards against Dallas and 222 against Tennessee. Over that stretch, he completed 70.1 percent of his passes, put up a 118.4 passer rating and had a 6:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Earlier in November, cornerback Marlon Humphrey pushed back on the criticism Jackson often faces.
“It seems like Lamar's the only quarterback that kind of gets the slander that he gets for anytime anything is going on,” Humphrey said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.“I feel like you just don't see these same articles, and you don't see these same headlines. I think it's unfair treatment.
“I just feel like it goes -- sometimes it seems like it gets away from -- I don't know if it's because of lack of agent or what, that no one can kind of defend him. I do know this: If Lamar Jackson can play, if he's healthy enough to play, he will play.”
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