Baltimore’s Week 7 setup changed in layers: Lamar Jackson went from limited in practice and trending toward a return to being ruled out against the Cincinnati Bengals, while Tyler Huntley was named the starter and two defensive starters were also sidelined.
Jackson’s ankle has been the central question all week. He was a limited participant in his first practice since suffering the injury in Week 4, and the Ravens had initially listed him as questionable before downgrading him to out on Saturday. That means he will miss his third straight game.
The quarterback himself had already described the problem in plain terms. Jackson said he suffered a high ankle sprain and was struggling to put weight on his left leg when running. He also said he did not need to be at 100 percent to take the field, but added that returning before his body was ready would be a “disservice” to his team.
That tension ran through the week. Saturday’s reports had characterized Jackson as a game-time decision, and Baltimore’s Thursday injury report included some positive updates elsewhere on the roster. But Jackson remained limited, and the final call left the Ravens with Huntley starting in place of Jackson for the third consecutive game.
The quarterback change is only part of the challenge. Baltimore also opened practice without safety Jaylinn Hawkins, who is dealing with a knee injury, and outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, who is dealing with a pectoral injury. The Ravens’ latest injury report also listed cornerback T.J. Tampa as doubtful, while the team has already placed Robinson on injured reserve after a season-ending pectoral injury.
That leaves Baltimore heading into a divisional game with a different kind of test than the one it expected when Jackson first went down. The Bengals come in off a bye and with a clean injury report, while the Ravens are trying to manage a quarterback transition and absorb absences on defense at the same time.
Jackson has missed the past two games because of the ankle injury suffered on Oct. 4. Now, with Huntley set for another start and several defensive pieces unavailable, the Ravens’ margin for error against Cincinnati looks thinner than it did when Jackson was still being monitored as a possible game-day decision.