Lamar Jackson injured his thumb when his hand hit a Bills defender. Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been ruled out of the rest of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills after suffering a thumb injury on his first snap of the game.
Jackson immediately went to the sideline after the play and was taken straight to the locker room before being ruled out by the team.
The injury occurred after Jackson faked a handoff to running back Derrick Henry and went back to throw. As Jackson released the ball towards wide receiver Zay Flowers, Bills linebacker Greg Rousseau beat Ravens right tackle Roger Rosengarten around the edge and got in Jackson’s space. Jackson’s hand hit Rousseau’s arm on the follow-through. Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley filled in for Jackson, though he later left with a toe injury, forcing emergency third quarterback Joe Fagnano into action.
Jackson returned to the field in Week 8 following a three-week absence due to an ankle injury he suffered in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans. Without Jackson, the Ravens went 1-2, beating the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5 but dropping back-to-back divisional games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 and Week 7, respectively.
Here we go again for the Ravens
This is starting to feel like one of those seasons for the Ravens. With all their inconsistencies in all three phases, what this team could least afford was for Jackson to miss more time. And that seems to be where this is headed, with Jackson being knocked out of the game on Baltimore’s first offensive play. The Ravens have a game in five days against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A Jackson multi-week injury changes everything for the Ravens, who are well on their way to losing their third straight game and falling to 4-4. They could tread water with Huntley and maybe even win a few games, but they no longer can be considered a legitimate threat in the AFC. And you have to wonder whether this could prompt general manager Eric DeCosta to either sell — or at least stand pat — ahead of the trade deadline on Nov. 10.
Making matters worse is that the Ravens play one of the NFL’s toughest schedules the rest of the way. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer
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