ExtremeRavens Posted 17 hours ago Posted 17 hours ago Another week, another absence for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. For the second straight Wednesday, Jackson was missing from practice in Owings Mills. He also took some significant hits in each of the past two games against the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns. In Sunday’s win in Cleveland, he was sacked five times, four of them coming courtesy of Myles Garrett. After the game, as Jackson sat and waited to speak to reporters, a blood stain soaked through the white tights under his uniform pants at his knee. He also stood up slowly, though did not appear to have any obvious or serious injuries. Whether Jackson’s absence puts his status for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets in jeopardy remains to be seen. Last week, he returned to practice on Thursday and Friday, clearing the way for him to start against the Browns. Jackson then had his worst game of the season against Cleveland’s second-ranked defense, completing just 14 of 25 passes for 193 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a passer rating of 47.6, one of the lowest marks of his career. Baltimore won, 23-16, but the contest clearly took its toll on the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player. Already, Jackson has missed three games this season because of a hamstring injury he suffered in the third quarter of a Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens lost two straight with Cooper Rush starting in his place before Tyler Huntley got the start against the Chicago Bears in Week 7 and helped guide the Ravens to victory. Jackson returned the following week for a Thursday night game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium and threw four touchdowns and had a near-perfect passer rating in a comfortable 28-6 win. But the following week against the Vikings in Minnesota, he again struggled, completing 17 of 29 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown. He has also not been the same dynamic runner this season that he has been in past seasons, with just 39 attempts for 226 yards and one touchdown. That’s a dramatic drop-off from last season, when he had 139 carried for 915 yards and four scores, and Jackson’s 32.3 rushing yards per game this year are the fewest of his eight-year career. On Monday, coach John Harbaugh scoffed at questions over Jackson running less frequently, though. “I was happy with some of the runs [Sunday],” he said. “He got out of the pocket a few times when we really needed him to and got us some yards and saved us a couple of times. I thought he also — I give him a lot of credit — he was under duress a few times where, in that kind of a game, he made some decisions, too, to protect the football, which was big. So, I thought he played a really smart game that way.” Asked in a follow-up question about Jackson running less on the year, Harbaugh said he didn’t “have an answer for that.” “Next thing you know, Lamar will break out and run for 100 yards,” he continued. The Ravens have won four straight games to get back to .500 and are a game back of the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. Harbaugh is scheduled to speak with reporters after practice. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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