Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has not played since Dec. 4 due to a sprained knee.
Jackson missed Baltimore’s final five regular season games, but there was hope the former MVP would be back in time for the playoffs. However, that hope might be dwindling.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said this morning that sources have told him and his colleague Mike Garafolo that it is “not looking good” for Jackson’s availability for Sunday’s Wild Card game against the Bengals.
“My understanding–this is something sources have said over the course of the past 24 hours–is that Lamar Jackson faces an uphill battle to be able to get out on the field in the playoffs against the Cincinnati Bengals,” Rapoport said. “He is working. He is trying. He is rehabbing. The knee is just not quite right.”
Rapoport cautioned that there is still a possibility that Jackson will surprise people and play, but the rest of his report makes it clear the odds aren’t great.
If Jackson can’t go, Tyler Huntley could start in his place. Huntley did not play in last week’s regular season finale due to shoulder and wrist injuries, leaving third-stringer Anthony Brown to start in his place.
Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh was mum on Jackson’s health when asked on Monday. We should get more clarity on Jackson and Huntley’s statuses when the Ravens release their first official injury report of the week later today.