Schefty: Lamar Jackson to have MRI on ankle

The Ravens didn’t have the results of the imaging yet and punted on a real answer here, meaning we’ll have plenty more updates on Lamar Jackson’s ankle injury as the week goes on. This will probably get a sourced update tonight and, if not, then on Tuesday. Welcome back to LamarWatch, a subsidiary of Rotoworld industries.

Head coach Jesse Minter said after the game that the team considered putting Jackson back in at one point. That said, with the game well in hand against the lowly Titans, the decision to sit the two-time MVP was likely an easy one. Jackson, who was spotted in a protective boot after the game, didn’t appear to be in a great deal of pain whenever he was shown on the sideline in the second half of Sunday’s win over the Titans. It wouldn’t be surprising if Jackson was limited in practice as a precaution, but it would be surprising if he missed next week’s game against the Falcons.

An ankle injury suffered at the end of the first half sidelined Jackson for the entire second half. That said, Jackson put in an entire game’s worth of production in the two quarters he did play in, completing four passes of 20-plus yards on the day, one of which came on a 52-yard strike to Zay Flowers that helped set up a three-yard touchdown by Mark Andrews on the next play. Lamar also connected with Flowers on a 19-yard touchdown pass to give him two total touchdown passes on the day and his second game in a row with multiple TD passes. Jackson was never officially ruled out and appeared engaged on the sideline while displaying a small limp. It wouldn’t be surprising if he was limited in practice this week, but from what we could see on the broadcast, Jackson didn’t look like a player who is at risk of missing Week 5’s game against the Falcons. We will be sure to provide all updates on the Ravens’ QB1 as they come throughout the week.

Lamar was sacked on the Ravens’ final play of the first half. His ankle got caught under Titans EDGE Jermaine Johnson on the play, and when the Ravens took the field in the third quarter, it was backup Tyler Huntley who was under center. With the Ravens holding a 24-7 lead, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Ravens opted to play it safe with Jackson and keep him out for the remainder of this one.

As noted yesterday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes Jackson’s reps in practice going forward will be managed at his behest, so don’t get too startled on Wednesday if he’s limited again. Jackson is an obvious overall QB1 candidate in Week 4 against the Titans.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport mentioned in a hit earlier today that Jackson might continue to be eased up on in practice per his preference throughout the season, so don’t get too concerned if this keeps popping up. It seems like there’s no real doubt he’ll play against the Titans on Sunday.

Head coach Jesse Minter said after practice that Jackson was dealing with “something small.” Both his comments and the limited status suggest this is nothing more than a minor issue, though a full practice tomorrow would undoubtedly ease the minds of Ravens fans and fantasy managers. Barring a setback, Jackson will remain a top-end QB1 for his Week 4 date with the Titans.

Hensley noted that Jackson spoke to the media before practice and talked as if he was good to go for Week 4, so this might be nothing. Jackson threw a dart to Zay Flowers on the Ravens’ final offensive play of Week 3, so he appeared fine the last time he was on the field. We will get more info when the team’s first injury report of the week drops later today. Tyler Huntley is Baltimore’s backup.

Jackson and the Ravens leaned on Derrick Henry for much of this one. Through the first three quarters, Jackson attempted just 13 passes. He completed nine of those attempts for 114 yards and one touchdown, with his first coming on a four-yard pass to Chris Moore in the back of the end zone in the third quarter. Jackson would string together multiple completions late in the fourth quarter on his way to throwing a two-yard touchdown to rookie TE Matt Hibner to give the Ravens a 31-28 lead with one minute and 30 seconds left in regulation. After the Cowboys tied the game with 10 seconds still on the clock, Lamar found Zay Flowers on a 27-yard pass, then called a timeout with one second left on the game clock to set up a game-winning 56-yard field goal from Tyler Loop. This was shaping up to be another signature fourth-quarter collapse from the Ravens, but Jackson and the offense were able to come up with enough clutch plays down the stretch to stave off defeat. Jackson will be on the QB1 radar next week when the Ravens take on the winless Titans.

A quick look at the box score would suggest the Ravens put up more than the 17 points they managed in Sunday’s loss, but Baltimore struggled to finish drives on Sunday. Despite making a handful of big plays on the day, one of which was a 22-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman in the second quarter, Jackson took three pivotal sacks on three separate drives that resulted in just three points for the Ravens. Jackson completed 2-of-5 passes of 20-plus yards, with his longest completion a 47-yard strike to Devontez Walker, but on the Ravens’ final drive, Lamar missed a throw to Bateman, and safety Julian Blackmon picked it off to end the game. Hopefully, Zay Flowers will be back next week for Jackson in Week 3 against the Cowboys in what projects as a high-scoring game. As usual, Jackson will be a must-start next week.