Lamar Jackson is trending toward a Week 8 return, and the Ravens are feeling the lift already.
Baltimore wideout Zay Flowers said Jackson’s presence back at practice brought an immediate spark after the quarterback missed the last three games with a high-ankle sprain. Flowers made it clear Jackson is not the type to rush himself back before he’s ready, but he also left no doubt the team was glad to see him.
“Oh, man, you know Lamar, Lamar wants to play. He wants to play when he is fully healthy,” Flowers said, via ProFootballTalk.
“And seeing him out there today, obviously it gave everybody a smile on their face. He is the same player.
He is the same person. He wasn’t trying to force anything.
He wasn’t trying to make everybody overexcited. He just came out and did what he normally does.”
Flowers also pushed back on the idea that Baltimore’s Week 7 loss to the Bengals should be pinned on Tyler Huntley. In his view, the Ravens had enough to win without Jackson, but they didn’t stay on the field long enough to help their defense.
“I felt like we could have gotten the win without Lamar last week,” Flowers said. “I don’t think it was anything that had to do with ‘Snoop’ [Huntley].
I don’t think Snoop played badly. I don’t think Snoop played bad at all.
I just think we weren’t on the field long enough to help the defense out and keep the ball out of the Bengals’ hands. So, having Lamar back definitely gives us a jumpstart and just seeing him back on the field running around [with] the plays he can create.”
In Pittsburgh, DeShon Elliott’s return has come with its own kind of grit.
The Steelers safety said he tore his hamstring completely off the bone in October 2025, then worked his way back to the field for Week 7, where he played 22 total snaps. Elliott described the injury as severe and said getting back is proof of the work he put in.
“I tore the hamstring off the bone behind my knee,” Elliott said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It was pretty gruesome. Not many players have ever had that [injury], so the fact that I came back is a testament to my hard work that I put in.”
Elliott was active in the preseason, but he began the season on injured reserve. He said that move frustrated him at first, though he now sees it as the right call.
“The best thing for me was to put me on IR,” Elliott said. “Obviously I was frustrated at first, but the best thing was to put me on IR. Now that I’m finally feeling good, it’s a blessing to be able to play ball again.”
He also said he doesn’t view the delayed start as a setback, even if he knew he wasn’t ready to open the season.
“I wouldn’t say it was a setback,” Elliott said. “Honestly it was just me trying to push through it, knowing I didn’t feel like DeShon.
I wasn’t strong enough yet. I was feeling some soreness every day, but I was like, ‘Forget it.
I’m going to play anyways.’ Now there’s no soreness.
There’s no swelling. I’ve got my strength.
I can move. I can do everything I need to do.
Now time will tell.”
In Other News...
Steelers Face A Brutal AFC North Test That Could Swing Everything
A familiar AFC North grind is back on the schedule, and it comes with the kind of stakes and tension that usually follow these two teams into December. The Steelers and Browns have built a rivalry on tight, physical games, and this one is being framed the same way, with the usual emphasis on field position, turnovers and whichever defense can force the other side into mistakes.
Pittsburgh enters with the edge in most of the preview talk, but only by a sliver, which says plenty about how little room there is for error in this matchup. The panels thinking leans toward the Steelers in a close one, with the outcome expected to hinge on whether their defense can keep Cleveland from turning a rugged divisional game into something more dangerous on the road. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Playoff Path Suddenly Looks Far Less Brutal Than Expected
The second half of the Steelers 2025 schedule looked daunting when it first came into focus, but the picture has shifted enough to make the path feel less punishing than expected. Matchups that once seemed like clear obstacles now come with more uncertainty, and that matters for a Pittsburgh team trying to stay in the playoff mix while navigating a stretch that still includes several name-brand opponents.
Philadelphia no longer looks quite as imposing without some of the pieces that made it such a difficult draw, Denvers offense has been uneven, and Houston has not defended at the level many expected. Baltimore still brings the usual rivalry edge, but the Ravens have also had to absorb roster changes while leaning heavily on Lamar Jackson, which gives the Steelers a little more reason to believe this late-season run can be manageable if they handle their business. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Now Have A Darnell Washington Story Fans Will Be Talking About
Darnell Washington gave the Steelers a meaningful lift in Week 7, helping finish off a 16-10 win over the New Orleans Saints with a touchdown reception that stood out in a tight game. The play mattered on the scoreboard, but it also drew the leagues attention afterward, a reminder that even a big moment can come with a little extra baggage once the NFL reviews the details.
For Pittsburgh, it is another small subplot around a player whose role keeps growing in a physical offense that values every hard-earned yard. The celebration itself is the kind of thing teammates and fans usually shrug off in the moment, but the league did not, and now Washingtons touchdown has a second layer to it that will linger a bit longer than the highlight. [Read more 🡒]