Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson did not practice at all this week and head coach Jesse Minter confirmed on Friday that he will remain out for Sunday’s game against the Browns as well.
It’s the second straight game that Jackson will miss due to an ankle injury. Tyler Huntley will get the start after helping the Ravens to an overtime win over the Falcons in Week 5.
Minter also announced that center Cam Jurgens will not play. Jurgens joined the team in a trade with the Eagles last week, but has not cleared the concussion protocol since coming to Baltimore.
Linebacker Trey Hendrickson is set to play after missing a pair of games with a finger injury and Minter said the team will make a call about activating wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane from injured reserve on Saturday.
The Browns got several key players back on the practice field Friday and they’re all in play to be in the lineup against the Ravens on Sunday.
Defensive tackle Mason Graham (knee, ankle), running back Quinshon Judkins (ankle), and linebacker Carson Schwesinger (ankle) are all listed as questionable after their first practice activity of the week. Graham did not play in last weekend’s loss to the Jets while Judkins and Schwesinger were injured during the game.
Defensive end Derek Barnett (ankle) is also listed as questionable. Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (ankle), offensive lineman Teven Jenkins (knee), quarterback Dillon Gabriel (back), defensive tackle Kalia Davis (quad), and running back Dylan Sampson (knee) will not play this week.
Wide receiver KC Concepcion has no injury designation and is set to play after suffering a concussion against the Jets.
It looks like Lamar Jackson is going to miss a second consecutive game as he deals with an ankle injury.
According to multiple reporters on the scene, Jackson was not participating in the portion of Friday’s practice open to media.
While head coach Jesse Minter has said Jackson could play in the Week 6 matchup against the Browns without practicing, it’s more likely that Tyler Huntley will be behind center for the Ravens as they play their division rival.
Jackson has not practiced since suffering his ankle injury on Oct. 4.
Huntley completed 24-of-32 passes for 201 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in last week’s victory over the Falcons. He also had 20 yards rushing on six carries with a TD.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, tight end Matt Hibner, defensive lineman calais Campbell, and defensive lineman Broderick Washington also were not practicing on Friday.
Minter is slated to address the media after practice and the Ravens will issue their final injury report with game statuses later on Friday.
With quarterback Lamar Jackson already dealing with an ankle issue, the Ravens’ top receiver now has an injury to deal with.
Zay Flowers was added to Thursday’s practice report as a limited participant with a toe injury.
Flowers also dealt with a hamstring issue during training camp and early in the season.
Flowers has registered 26 receptions for 405 yards with two touchdowns in four games so far this season.
Baltimore also added outside linebacker Mike Green (hamstring) to the day’s report as limited.
The Ravens downgraded three players from limited to DNP on Thursday: receiver Rashod Bateman (shoulder), guard John Simpson (groin), and defensive tackle Broderick Washington (ankle).
But cornerback Marlon Humphrey (hamstring/calf), offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten (knee), offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (rest/toe/ankle), and tight end Nick Vannett (knee) were all upgraded from limited to full.
Linebacker Teddye Buchanan (groin), guard Emery Jones (ankle), center Cam Jurgens (concussion), linebacker Trenton Simpson (hamstring), and guard Andrew Vorhees (foot) all remained limited.
Tight end Mark Andrews (hand), safety Kyle Hamilton (stinger), outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson (finger), and receiver Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) all remained full.
And as noted earlier in the day, Jackson (ankle) officially did not practice. Tight end Matthew Hibner also remained sidelined on Thursday.
Star players continue to sell. The absence of star players continues to not.
Without two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson available for Sunday night’s game between the Ravens and Falcons, the NBC broadcast averaged 17 million, per Nielsen’s weekly audience report.
Yes, the game was up against a Brewers-Dodgers game on Fox that drew 10 million. But not having Lamar Jackson playing in the game surely made an impact.
With Tyler Huntley replacing Jackson, the game itself delivered, with the Ravens winning in overtime, 30-23.
The showing underscores the NFL’s desire to protect franchise quarterbacks. The players who most move the needle are more likely to draw roughing-the-passer fouls than the rest. Not having the best of the best players available will indeed have a negative impact on the NFL’s business interests.
Ultimately, there wasn’t much daylight between Ravens-Falcons and Buccaneers-Cowboys on Prime Video, which generated an audience of 16.725 million for the Week 5 Thursday night game.
This week, it’s Cowboys-Packers on Sunday night. And the numbers will surely reflect the presence of two significant teams with multiple star players, in a game that will have a significant impact on the standings in the NFC, given that the Cowboys are 2-3 and the Packers are 3-2.
