The Baltimore Ravens probably feel like they're living in a nightmare right now. In Lamar Jackson's return to the field on Sunday, the two-time NFL MVP got knocked out of the game after suffering an injury on Baltimore's first offensive play against the Buffalo Bills. After the Bills scored a quick touchdown, Jackson and the Ravens offense took the field with just over 10 minutes left to play in the first quarter.
On a first-and-10 play, Jackson threw a pass to Zay Flowers, but as he threw the ball, his hand hit a defender's arm, and after that happened, Jackson was in immediate pain. Lamar Jackson heads to the locker room after his first pass attempt with an apparent hand injury. pic.twitter.com/JVUQYjJV8H Jackson clearly didn't feel right, because he quickly ran to the sideline, and at that point, the Ravens' training staff took him into Baltimore's locker room at Highmark Stadium. Jackson ended up suffering a thumb injury, and the team has already ruled him out for the rest of the day.
This all comes on the heels of Jackson missing Baltimore's past three games due to an ankle injury. Jackson suffered the injury in Week 4 and then ended up sitting out nearly a month before he was finally able to return to the field on Sunday in Buffalo. After Jackson was injured, Tyler Huntley entered the game, but he wasn't in for long.
Huntley suffered a toe injury in the second quarter, and the Ravens are now down to their third-string QB, rookie Joe Fagnano. Fagnano is an undrafted rookie out of UConn. This is the first appearance of his career.
The showdown between Jackson and Josh Allen was supposed to be one of the highlights in Week 8. The Ravens have been a completely different team with Jackson on the field this year, so with him gone, it's going to make it difficult for them to beat the Bills. During their first four games this year, the Ravens averaged 29.8 points per game while going 3-1 with him on the field.
However, with Jackson out over the past three weeks, they went just 1-2 while averaging just 17.7 points per game. A thumb injury on the right hand is a brutal one for a quarterback because it impacts their ability to grip the football. The problem for the Ravens is that they play on Thursday night in Week 9, and the fact that Jackson has already been ruled out for Sunday's game doesn't bode well for his chances of playing against the Jaguars on Thursday.
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