Lamar Jackson Injured: Ravens in Crisis After Loss and 1-3

Concern in Baltimore: Lamar Jackson and other Ravens pillars injured

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh expressed uncertainty about the severity of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s hamstring injury, which has raised concerns following the team’s worst start to the season in a decade. Jackson left the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the third quarter, after being brought down by defensive end George Karlaftis. He remained on the bench for the rest of the game, occasionally flexing his right leg.

“There’s nothing that seems like it’s going to be the end of the season for anyone,” Harbaugh stated, after seeing five starters leave injured.

John Harbaugh

The coach couldn’t confirm if Jackson would have returned to the game if the score had been closer. The player was unavailable to the media after the game. Jackson’s injury occurred while the Ravens fell to a 1-3 record, something that had only happened twice in the franchise’s history (2005 and 2015), seasons in which the team failed to reach the playoffs. Before his injury, Jackson had his worst performance of the season, struggling against the Chiefs’ pressure. After not turning the ball over in the first three games, he threw an interception and then a fumble when colliding with center Tyler Linderbaum. Jackson faced pressure on 56% of his passing plays, the highest rate he has faced in a game with at least 10 pass attempts. Jackson has proven to be resilient in recent seasons, not missing a game since he sat out the final five games of the 2022 regular season due to a knee injury. If Jackson is unable to play next Sunday against the Houston Texans, Cooper Rush could start. In addition to Jackson, four other Ravens starters also went down with injuries: linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Nate Wiggins (elbow), and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle). The Ravens’ defense, which allows the most points per game in the NFL (33.3), was already weakened, having started the game without four starters. The team placed defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and defensive end Broderick Washington (ankle) on the injured list on Saturday, and deactivated outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) and nose tackle Travis Jones (knee). Harbaugh was “concerned but not overwhelmed” by the 1-3 start to the season. “The three losses have been against probably three of the best teams in the league, without a doubt,” Harbaugh commented, referring to the losses against the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions. “That’s the situation we’ve been dealt, but it doesn’t really matter. We have to win the next game. Then, once you win the next game, you have the opportunity to string together some wins. That’s what we have to do in the long run.”