Lamar Jackson’s season took another painful turn, but the Ravens quarterback isn’t shutting the door on a comeback.
Jackson needs surgery to fix a broken and dislocated thumb, and Baltimore has not ruled him out for the year. That leaves him working against the clock, with only a narrow path back before the season ends. For the Ravens, the math is simple: stay in the playoff hunt long enough, and Jackson might still have a chance to return when the games get real.
That was the message he sent to his teammates as Baltimore prepares to get through the next stretch without him.
“Just stay alive” is what ESPN reports Jackson told the Ravens.
The timing gives Baltimore a sliver of hope. Jackson is expected to miss 6-9 weeks after suffering the injury on Nov. 1, which puts his earliest possible return around Dec.
- That date lines up with the Ravens’ first meeting with the Steelers, and it would leave the door open for the final push.
Baltimore’s last four games all come against division opponents, a setup that could matter if Jackson is healthy enough to come back. The Ravens play the Steelers twice, along with games against the Browns and Bengals. If Jackson is able to suit up for that stretch, Baltimore could still be in position to chase the division.
There’s also one more factor working in the Ravens’ favor: they have not yet taken their bye week, which gives Jackson more time to recover as he works through rehab.
If he does make it back this season, it would come in one of those final four games - Browns on Dec. 27, Bengals on Dec. 31, and the Steelers in the regular-season finale, after that first Steelers matchup on Dec. 20.
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