The Ravens’ next stretch could tilt on one familiar question: Lamar Jackson, or no Lamar Jackson?
Baltimore doesn’t have much mystery about his importance. With Jackson in the lineup, the Ravens are 3-1.
Without him, they’re 1-2. And after losses to the Browns and Bengals over the past eight days, Baltimore has opened 0-2 in the AFC North for the first time since 2007.
Jackson said Friday that he’s working through a high-ankle sprain he suffered in Week 4 against the Titans. At that point, he sounded optimistic about his direction, saying, “Right now, I’m heading in the right direction.”
A day later, the Ravens changed his status from questionable to out.
Now the focus turns to Buffalo, where the Ravens visit Sunday before a short-week trip from the Jaguars. If Jackson can’t go, Baltimore’s 4-3 record could slide to 4-5 by next Friday.
That makes this week less about certainty than about waiting. The question in Baltimore is whether Jackson will be ready for Josh Allen and the Bills, and even on Sunday’s Football Night in America, it was said that nobody inside the building knows for sure whether he’ll be back this week. Any timeline beyond that is just a guess.
Jackson also made clear Friday that this is about pain tolerance. The ankle is limiting his mobility, and that matters because a high-ankle sprain usually takes longer to heal than other sprains. He said he doesn’t want to play if doing so could hurt the team.
There’s another wrinkle for the Ravens: getting the eventual starter prepared. If Jackson is listed as a “full” participant on Wednesday, Thursday, and/or Friday, that would mean he took 100 percent of his normal first-team reps. If he does not play, Tyler Huntley would not be getting those first-team reps for Buffalo.
The next two games carry real weight either way. Win both, and Baltimore stays on course for the goal it had in mind. Lose both, and the season could be headed toward another postseason miss.
If Jackson can suit up, the Ravens’ odds of going 2-0 look a lot better. Whether that happens is something the team - and everyone else - will learn as the week goes on.
In Other News...
Jaguars Could Make A Deadline Move Fans Never Saw Coming
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the Jaguars are at least looking hard at a couple of options that would have sounded unlikely not long ago. Brandon Cleveland is entering the final stretch of his contract, which gives Jacksonville a chance to see whether there is any value to be found in moving him now rather than letting his situation play out later.
Jourdan Lewis is the more surprising name in the conversation, especially for a player who has served as both a nickel cornerback and a team captain. Still, the idea is less about anything Lewis has done wrong than about how Jacksonville might try to rework its defense if the right deal materializes, even if these possibilities remain only speculative for now. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Could Finally Fix One Roster Problem At The Trade Deadline
The Jaguars have spent enough time dealing with the same interior defensive line issue that the trade deadline now feels like a real chance to patch it. With the defense looking for more push and sturdiness inside, the conversation has shifted toward veteran tackles who could help right away, and a few names have surfaced as possible fits for Jacksonvilles front.
Moro Ojomo, Daron Payne, Zach Sieler and Christian Covington all bring different appeals, whether it is age, role, contract situation or expected cost to acquire. The question for Jacksonville is less about whether help is available and more about which path makes the most sense, because any move would need to balance immediate impact with how much the Jaguars are willing to pay to solve a problem that has lingered for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Suddenly Face A Brian Thomas Jr. Deadline Decision
With the trade deadline looming on Nov. 10, Brian Thomas Jr. has suddenly become part of a much bigger conversation than the Jaguars alone. Kansas City is reportedly shopping for wide receiver help, and ESPNs Adam Schefter listed Thomas among the names the Chiefs have discussed while canvassing the market for upgrades to a receiver group hit by injuries and uneven production.
For Jacksonville, the idea of another team even kicking the tires on Thomas is the kind of development that gets attention fast. The Jaguars have every reason to value a young receiver with his kind of upside, but the Chiefs interest underscores how quickly the deadline can turn a player into a point of leverage, and how many questions can surface before a team has to decide whether to listen or hold firm. [Read more 🡒]