The Baltimore Ravens appear to have made a decision regarding Lamar Jackson’s availability for Sunday’s playoff opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jackson did not practice again on Thursday and is unlikely to play in Sunday’s wild-card game, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Jackson’s backup, Tyler Huntley, returned to practice as a limited participant.
Lamar Jackson officially did not practice today and is not expected to play Sunday night vs. Bengals; Tyler Huntley resumed throwing today and was listed as a limited participant at practice.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2023
Jackson suffered a knee injury in the Ravens’ Week 13 game and has not played since. At the time, the Ravens essentially characterized Jackson’s issue as week-to-week, and seemed consistently confident that he would be back by the start of the postseason. That was still the case as recently as last week, even though a rather worrying report about Jackson’s health emerged at the same time. That optimism evaporated this week, as it became pretty clear that Jackson was simply not going to be able to play.
If the Ravens can upset the Bengals, it is possible Jackson’s health would be reassessed before the divisional round. If not, he will be entering an uncertain offseason without a long-term contract. His future is unclear, but teams will clearly have an eye on his possible availability.
