The clock is ticking on Lamar Jackson's chances of suiting up in Week 5. After sitting out Wednesday's session, the Ravens' star quarterback was again absent from practice on Thursday, marking two straight days without a snap. His ankle, injured during the first half of Sunday's win over the Titans, is clearly not improving as fast as the team would like.
Baltimore's injury report is getting crowded. Besides Jackson, linebacker Trey Hendrickson, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and newly acquired center Cam Jurgens all missed practice with various ailments. The trade that brought Jurgens to Baltimore was supposed to solidify the offensive line, but his availability for Sunday is now in doubt.
Head coach Jesse Minter is doing his best to project calm. On Wednesday, he emphasized that there was "a lot of time" between then and the game, and he expressed confidence in Jackson's ability to prepare mentally without practicing. "To Lamar’s credit, he’s getting a lot of treatment and doing things," Minter said. "There’ll be a point later in the week where we’ll kinda figure out where it’s at… When he’s ready to play, he’ll be ready to play."
But history suggests that missing an entire week of practice rarely ends with a quarterback playing at a high level on Sunday. If Jackson is absent again on Friday, he'll likely be listed as questionable or doubtful. The concerns about his availability are only growing louder with each missed rep.
Should Jackson be unable to go against the Falcons, the Ravens will turn to Tyler "Snoop" Huntley, with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano serving as the backup. Huntley saw limited action in relief of Jackson last week, throwing just nine passes. However, he's proven himself a reliable game manager in the past. Last season, he completed 52 of 67 attempts for 426 yards and two touchdowns across five games, going 2-0 as a starter with convincing wins over the Browns and Packers.
But the Falcons are a different beast. They've been on a tear, winning their last two games by a combined margin of 80-38 while racking up over 400 yards of offense in each. Their high-powered attack means the Ravens might need more than just a steady hand under center. They'll either have to lean even heavier on their run game or ask Huntley to take more chances downfield.
The injury woes that plagued Jackson and other stars last Sunday are now threatening to derail Baltimore's momentum. With a tough matchup looming, the Ravens are in a precarious position. The next 48 hours will be critical in determining whether Jackson can defy the odds and play, or whether Huntley will be asked to carry the load.
