The Baltimore Ravens were dealt a serious blow in Week 4 as star quarterback Lamar Jackson exited the 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a hamstring injury. Now, reports suggest he could be sidelined for multiple games.
The timing couldn’t be worse for a team trying to rebound from a rocky 1-3 start to the season. According to a report from NBC Sports, Jackson is likely to miss Sunday’s matchup against the Houston Texans and could be out for two to three weeks.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who replaced Jackson late in the Kansas City game, is expected to start in his absence.
Jackson is off to a scorching start statistically, leading the league with 10 touchdown passes and a 130.5 passer rating. Losing him even briefly changes Baltimore’s trajectory.
Ravens’ season throws into disarray
The injury was sustained in the third quarter, and Jackson did not return. Head coach John Harbaugh made it clear there was “no way he was going back into the game”.
He said: “The way I know Lamar, if he could’ve gone in the game, he would’ve been in the game. That’s how he is.” Harbaugh declined to provide a definitive timeline, commenting, “I can’t say. I don’t know enough to be able to say in any kind of accurate way.”
Reports have pegged Jackson’s recovery timeline at two to three weeks, which would force Baltimore to start Rush in Week 5 and possibly Week 6, depending on how things progress.
Rush, who completed 9-of-13 passes for 52 yards after entering the Chiefs game, has limited starting experience, having made 14 career starts for Dallas.
To shore up depth, Baltimore may elevate practice squad quarterback Tyler Huntley to the active roster. But the ripple effects run deeper than just the offense.
Baltimore’s injury list is mounting: defensive stalwart Nnamdi Madubuike is out for the season with a neck injury, while linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) and cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) could also miss multiple weeks. Already, the Ravens’ defense is stretched thin.
Were the Ravens to blame?
Pundits are wondering if Jackson’s hamstring issue may have been months in the making. On the “Scoop City” podcast, reporter Dianna Russini stressed that there were signs of physical decline even before the injury.
She said, “There are just moments in the game, things that we normally see, such an athletic, elite runner, not seem so special. It’s fair to say something is bothering Lamar physically.”
Indeed, Harbaugh acknowledged that he didn’t know precisely when the injury occurred, and added that “it’s probably a little more added up, but I can’t say.”
The optics here are concerning. Jackson’s style of play – extending plays with his legs and delivering big runs – is part of what makes him dangerous.
If limited mobility or even hesitation creeps in, that threatens to blunt one of Baltimore’s most potent advantages. In Weeks 3 and 4, he was sacked multiple times; in the Chiefs game alone, he was brought down three times, and protective pressure is piling up.
Losing Jackson for even a few weeks complicates Baltimore’s path forward. Cooper Rush is serviceable, but the Ravens built their roster around a mobile, dynamic quarterback who can create game-changing plays. The defense is embattled. The margin for error is slim.
Now, the Ravens must lean on experience, scheme, and whatever depth remains. The next few games will test whether this team is built to withstand adversity – or if Jackson’s absence exposes deeper structural issues.
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