Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed Monday’s practice in Owings Mills with a hamstring injury, making it 24 days since he last practiced.
Jackson, who has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in the third quarter of the Ravens’ Sept. 28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, was expected to return this week, coach John Harbaugh said after Baltimore’s 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The team’s ensuing bye week gave Jackson an additional seven days to recover.
However, he was not on the practice field during the portion open to the media Monday, leaving backups Cooper Rush and Tyler Huntley to take the reps at quarterback. In his absence, Baltimore (1-5) dropped two straight games with back-to-back embarrassing defeats at home, first to the Houston Texans, 44-10, then Rams. The Ravens are 4-12 in games without Jackson since he became the starter in 2018.
While Jackson was out, Rush struggled mightily in his place, completing 65.4% of his passes for 303 yards and no touchdowns to go with four interceptions in two-plus games.
Huntley entered in the fourth quarter against the Rams, as Harbaugh said the plan was to play two quarterbacks.
It’s still early in the week, and Jackson has missed practices before. But his return to the field carries added importance given the time he’s missed — and the urgency for Baltimore’s offense to rediscover its rhythm.
The Ravens are currently in last place in the AFC North and three games back of the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers with 11 weeks remaining in the regular season.
Before getting injured, Jackson had completed a career-high 71.6% of his passes this season for 869 yards and 10 touchdowns with just one interception. However, the Ravens’ offense has also struggled to find a rhythm all season, while the defense has been the worst in the NFL.
The Ravens did welcome back linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie back to practice. Smith had not practiced since his Week 4 injury against the Chiefs and Awuzie also returned from a hamstring injury that he suffered against Kansas City. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and fullback Patrick Ricard also practiced, meaning Jackson and linebacker Tavius Robinson (foot) were the only players who missed action Monday.
Harbaugh is scheduled to speak with reporters following Monday’s practice.
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230.