Lamar Jackson has faced a lot of criticism for sitting out with a knee injury, and some of the strongest came from former NFL quarterback Michael Vick.
Jackson will not play in the Baltimore Ravens’ wild-card game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. He suffered a sprained PCL on Dec. 4 that was initially expected to keep him out 1-3 weeks, but he has not played since.
The “FOX NFL Kickoff” crew discussed Jackson’s situation on Saturday, and Charles Woodson said he thinks the quarterback should be suiting up.
“If this team was 2-15, I can see him not coming back and trying to finish out the season,” Woodson said. “We all play this game to try to win a Super Bowl. That’s the main goal. If you have a team that’s good enough to get to the playoffs.”
Woodson said he understands Jackson trying to protect himself given his contract situation, though the Hall of Fame cornerback said he doesn’t think he would “have the balls” to do the same. Vick was a lot more blunt with his message for Jackson.
“Like you just said, it’s the playoffs, man. You’re three games away (from the Super Bowl),” Vick said. “Put a brace on it and get it going. Put a brace on it. Let’s go. I played a whole season on a sprained MCL.”
The crew share their thoughts on Lamar Jackson's injury @SeanPayton | @CharlesWoodson | @MichaelVick pic.twitter.com/OBtLcDiM1d
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 14, 2023
Jackson posted a lengthy explanation of his knee injury on Twitter Thursday. Sean Payton said on the FOX pregame show that he does not think Jackson should have done that.
One of Jackson’s teammates this week openly called on the former MVP to play through his injury. If Tyler Huntley can lead the Ravens to a huge upset win over Cincinnati, it will be interesting to see if Jackson returns for the Divisional Round.
