Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has missed a day of practice in each of the last four weeks and that streak continues this week.
Reporters at the open portion of Ravens practice noted that Jackson is not on the field with the rest of the team. Jackson has not missed any game action despite the missed practices.
It is not clear what physical issue will be listed as the reason for Jackson’s absence. He has been listed with ankle, toe, and knee injuries in recent weeks and he also missed three games with a hamstring injury earlier this season. The team’s injury report will bring word on the reason for his inactivity on Wednesday.
The Ravens fell behind in the AFC North with last Sunday’s loss to the Steelers and will try to improve their chances of winning the division in Cincinnati this weekend.
The Bengals are getting one of their key defensive players back on the field this week.
Cincinnati announced the club has opened the 21-day practice window for defensive end Shemar Stewart to come off of injured reserve.
Stewart has been on IR since Nov. 15 with a knee injury.
The No. 17 overall pick of this year’s draft, Stewart has appeared in five games with four starts as a rookie. He’s recorded six total tackles with one quarterback hit in his 177 defensive snaps.
As expected, Trey Hendrickson’s 2025 season has come to an end.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Hendrickson underwent core muscle surgery on Tuesday morning. With a six-week recovery time and only four weeks remaining in the regular season, he will not be able to return.
Hendrickson hasn’t played since the Bengals’ Week 8 loss to the Jets. He’s been listed with hip and pelvis injuries.
The NFL’s sack leader in 2024, Hendrickson held out for most of the offseason and training camp before agreeing to a re-worked contract for 2025.
In seven games, Hendrickson recorded 16 total tackles with three for loss, eight QB hits, and 4.0 sacks.
On Sunday, Bengals receiver Tee Higgins returned to action after suffering a concussion in Week 12 against the Patriots. On Monday afternoon, after having his helmet strike the playing surface on multiple occasions during a Week 14 game against the Bills, the Bengals placed Higgins in the concussion protocol.
Early Monday evening, the NFL and the NFL Players Association issued a joint statement.
“Tee Higgins was evaluated twice in game and cleared to return,” the league and the union said. “After the game, in discussion with club medical personnel as part of a postgame evaluation, he notified the team he was experiencing symptoms and was immediately placed in the concussion protocol.”
It’s standard practice for players who are checked for concussions during games to be checked again after the game ends. And, yes, concussions sometimes don’t emerge immediately.
Still, the optics weren’t ideal. Higgins, who suffered the concussion when his helmet struck the artificial surface in Cincinnati, had it happen more than once on Sunday on the artificial turf in Buffalo. It became objectively uncomfortable to see it happen — and to see Higgins stay in the game
After the game, Higgins told reporters he had no concerns about continuing to play. The protocol is nevertheless in place to protect players from their natural inclination to keep playing.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, there will be no investigation regarding the handling of Higgins, because there is no reason to believe the protocol may have been violated. This situation nevertheless creates a potential opportunity for tweaking the protocol when it comes to players returning from concussions.
Cincinnati’s loss in Buffalo became New England’s and Baltimore’s game.
Assuming they want to play a night game in 13 days.
The NFL has flexed the Week 16 Sunday night game between the Bengals and Dolphins out of prime time. It will be replaced by the Patriots at Ravens game.
The Bengals-Dolphins game has moved to 1:00 p.m. ET.
With the Bengals falling to 4-9, and likely exiting the playoff chase, the Patriots-Ravens game consists of one team that is chasing the AFC East and the No. 1 seed and another team that is trying to win the AFC North. It will be a much more compelling game.
