Ravens HC John Harbaugh stays mum on Lamar Jackson’s availability
By Kristen Wong
Is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson out for the rest of regular season? Heading into Week 17, Jackson’s availability once again is up in the air.
Jackson has been sidelined due to knee injury he suffered in Week 14’s game against the Denver Broncos, and he most recently missed his 10th consecutive practice on Wednesday.
His inability to participate in practice seems to suggest Tyler Huntley will get another start in Week 17, though head coach John Harbaugh remains silent on the matter.
When speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Harbaugh declined to comment on Jackson’s injury, saying “We’re just coaching the guys that we have out here.”
If Huntley does get the start against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens are putting their AFC North title hopes in jeopardy as the team is already one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals — albeit, the Bengals will be playing the Buffalo Bills in Week 17.
It's fair to wonder whether we'll see Lamar Jackson again this season. Playoffs are still in play. But if he misses an entire 4th week of practice, I'd think his knee would need more than a couple days of practice before season-finale. Not impossible, but it'd be cutting it close
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) December 28, 2022
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s status is unknown for Week 17 and beyond
It’s possible that Baltimore is treating Jackson’s situation with extreme caution. Having already clinched a postseason berth, the Ravens may not see winning the division as a high priority and may want to rest their star quarterback for a deep postseason run.
Division matchups against the Pittsburgh are nonetheless notoriously tough, and losing Week 17 would deal a tough blow to team morale.
Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley has started the past three games for the Ravens, going 2-1, and is coming off a solid victory over the Atlanta Falcons in which he made some critical throws to secure the win.
Huntley started under center when the Ravens beat the Steelers several weeks ago and appears in line to face Pittsburgh again if Jackson doesn’t return to practice this week.
In other roster news, Calais Campbell and Marcus Peters were absent from Wednesday’s practice as well; Morgan Moses, Kevin Zeitler, and Justin Houston all got rest days.
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As always, keep an eye out for updates on Jackson’s practice status in the coming days.