Well, it’s official: Lamar Jackson’s hamstring is now trending higher than the Ravens’ playoff hopes. Following a loss that felt more like a group therapy session than a football game, Coach John Harbaugh stepped up to the mic and spoke about the injury.
Now, Ravens fans are clinging to hope, prayers, and possibly herbal remedies, while Harbaugh plays medical spokesperson.
Jackson left midway through the third quarter of Sunday’s 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after being sacked by defensive end George Karlaftis and did not return. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player sat on the bench for the remainder of the game, occasionally flexing his injured right leg.
“There’s nothing that looks like it’s season-ending by any stretch for anybody,” Harbaugh said after watching five of his starters exit with injuries.
Asked if Jackson could have returned to the game if the score were closer, Harbaugh replied, “I really don’t have the answer to that right now.”
Jackson was not made available to reporters after the game.
His injury came as Baltimore fell to 1-3, which has happened twice previously in franchise history (2005 and 2015). The Ravens failed to make the playoffs in each of those seasons.
Before he was hurt, Jackson recorded his worst performance of the campaign, struggling against Kansas City’s blitzes. After not turning the ball over during the first three outings, Jackson threw an interception and later fumbled when he ran into center Tyler Linderbaum. Jackson was under duress on 56% of his dropbacks, which was the highest pressure rate he has ever faced in a game with at least 10 dropbacks, according to ESPN Research.
In the meantime, Baltimore’s strategy seems to be “pretend everything is fine” while their MVP quarterback limps into October. Fingers crossed, tape it up, and let’s all pretend the backup QB has totally got this. What could go wrong?
