Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter expressed optimism about quarterback Lamar Jackson's availability this week, but he stopped short of saying whether the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player will start in Sunday's critical game at the Buffalo Bills. Jackson has missed the past three games with a high ankle sprain, including Sunday's 35-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jackson appeared to be trending toward playing last week, when he was a limited participant in every practice. However, a day after being listed as questionable, he was ruled out by Baltimore. Minter declined to confirm a CBS game broadcast report that Jackson woke up Saturday with increased swelling in his injured left ankle, which led to him being scratched. "I think he was able to get in a little bit of work obviously towards the end of last week," Minter said Monday. "And so I think he'll be in a decent spot, but we'll know a lot more on Wednesday."
Jackson's absence has hurt Baltimore. The Ravens (4-3) have struggled with fill-in starting quarterback Tyler "Snoop" Huntley and lost two straight games to fall into last place in the AFC North. Without Jackson over the past three weeks, the Ravens have averaged 17.7 points (24th in the NFL) and 328.3 yards (20th).
Minter said he does not want to blame the offense's inconsistencies on Jackson's absence. "Lamar's 1 of 1, right? Two-time MVP, obviously a high-caliber player, but I just don't like the built-in excuse of why things are going a certain way," Minter said. He added that the team can still operate better when Jackson is not available.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing