Lamar Jackson won’t play this week and it’s uncertain whether he’ll be back in time for next week’s playoff game.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Tyler Huntley has a good chance to start Sunday’s game against Cincinnati, despite dealing with tendinitis issue in his shoulder. But Jackson’s availability will be key for Baltimore in the postseason. And at this point, the Ravens aren’t sure whether he’ll be able to practice next week, let alone play.
“There really are no updates on that. And that’s the biggest thing I know that fans, media, and everybody might get a little frustrated about. But, it’s just kind of the nature of it,” Harbaugh said in his press conference. “When we have an update, definitely you’ll have it. But injuries are so hard to predict. ... And sometimes people think, well he’s hiding something or whatever — and it’s really not. I might be hiding something sometimes, but not in this case.
“But the truth is, we just really don’t know. I know everybody’s working as hard as they can. Lamar’s working as hard as he can. The trainers are working as hard as they can. And can’t wait for him to get back, obviously, just like everybody else. So, that’s where we’re at. He won’t be playing in this game. And we’ll be hopeful for next week and we’ll see where we’re at then.”
Jackson has been out since suffering a PCL injury in the Ravens’ victory over the Broncos on Dec. 4. Huntley took over and Baltimore has gone 2-2 over its last four games.
Jackson not being able to play in the wild card round would be an obvious blow to Baltimore’s championship aspirations, no matter their opponent.
Huntley himself said he feels like he has a good chance to play on Sunday. But if he can’t, the Ravens would turn to rookie quarterback Anthony Brown. With Huntley limited, Brown took the practice reps and Harbaugh said the rookie will be ready to go if needed.
Given the passed resolution to postseason changes on Friday, the Ravens still have a chance to host an opening-round playoff game if they defeat the Bengals on Sunday and are scheduled to play them next weekend. That would be determined by a coin flip.
Baltimore’s full injury report will be released later on Friday.