The Ravens got their quarterback back on the field, but had to add two players to the injury report.
After a rest day on Wednesday, Lamar Jackson was a full participant in Thursday’s session, confirming he’s on track to start against the Bengals on Sunday.
But tight end Mark Andrews (glute) and receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle) were both added to the report on Thursday.
For both, Friday’s participation level may be a key indicator of their Sunday availability.
Andrews is second on the team with 38 catches, 341 yards, and leads Baltimore this season with five touchdowns.
Bateman has 18 catches for 217 yards with two TDs in 11 games.
Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (shoulder) was upgraded to a full participant after he was absent from Wednesday’s practice. Running back Keaton Mitchell (knee), outside linebacker Tavius Robinson (foot), and cornerback Nate Wiggins (foot) were all upgraded from limited to full.
Safety Ar’Darius Washington (Achilles) remained full.
Bengals receiver Tee Higgins continues to make his way through concussion protocol and was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice.
Higgins returned to action last week after missing the Week 13 win over the Ravens while in concussion protocol. But after taking some significant hits in the loss to the Bills, Higgins again reported having concussion-like symptoms.
In 12 games this season, Higgins has 46 receptions for 667 yards with a team-leading nine touchdowns.
Notably as he returns from injured reserve, defensive end Shemar Stewart (knee) was again a full participant in practice on Thursday after receiving the same designation on Wednesday.
Safety PJ Jules (ankle) did not practice for the second consecutive day. Defensive end Joseph Ossai (shin) and linebacker Shaka Heyward (fibula) remained full participants.
As expected, Lamar Jackson is back on the practice field.
According to multiple reporters on the scene, Jackson is practicing on Thursday after he wasn’t on the field for Wednesday’s session.
While Jackson has been listed with various lower-body injuries during the second half of the season, he received a rest day this week.
At this point, Jackson is expected to play Sunday’s game against the Bengals.
In 10 games this season, Jackson has completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 2,060 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 307 yards with two TDs.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s regular season is over.
The Bengals put Hendrickson on injured reserve on Thursday, which means he will miss the final four games on the schedule. Hendrickson had core muscle surgery earlier this week that’s expected to sideline him for around six weeks, so there’s not much chance of a return should the Bengals make a miraculous run to the top of the AFC North before the year is out.
Hendrickson’s time with the Bengals may be up as well. Hendrickson is not under contract for 2026 and has had a longstanding impasse with the team about his desire for a long-term deal to keep him in town beyond the 2025 season.
Hendrickson had 16 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble for the Bengals this season. He ranks sixth in franchise history with 61 sacks for the team.
On Wednesday, Joe Burrow seemed to be the embodiment of Jerry Seinfeld’s deliberately dark attitude about birthdays.
Burrow, who turned 29 today, seemed to be dejected throughout much of his weekly press conference.
Initially, he thanked reporters and left after answering a couple of questions and a lull emerged. He returned to take more questions. And that’s when it got very interesting.
“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” Burrow said at one point. “You know, I’ve been through a lot. And if it’s not fun, what am I doing it for?”
He then was asked whether it’s currently difficult to have fun.
“Yes, certainly,” he said.
He was asked when it changed from being fun.
“I’m not sure there was a singular moment or time,” Burrow said. “It’s just reflection. Reflection on a lot of things that I’ve done and been through in my career, I think. You know, I’ve been through more than most, and it’s certainly not easy on the brain or the body, so I’m just trying to have fun doing it again.”
Burrow later was told that he seems to have something on his mind, and that he seems to be frustrated.
“There’s just a lot of things going on right now,” Burrow said. “A lot of things going on right now.”
Football related or personally?
“All of the above,” Burrow said.
The Bengals obviously should be concerned about all of the above. It’s hardly a stretch, based on his words from Wednesday, to wonder whether he’s thinking about walking away from the game, or perhaps whether he’s thinking about trying to join a new team.
Maybe it’s just a temporary thing. Or maybe he’s doing some soul searching about his past journey, and his future path. Regardless, he said what he said on Wednesday. It was stunning to hear the words being spoken, and it’s even more jarring to see them reduced to writing.
The NFL announced Friday that the Bengals-Cardinals game in Week 17 will be played Sunday, Dec. 28, at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
The game was originally scheduled as a TBD/flex game.
It is one of several schedule changes the NFL announced for the final weeks of the season.
The Bengals hold a 7-6 all-time edge on the Cardinals, and it marks the first time the Cardinals will play in Cincinnati since 2019.
The Cardinals have been eliminated from playoff contention, while the Bengals are close to being eliminated.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been listed with a variety of injuries when he missed practice in recent weeks, but none of them were cited as the reason he was off the field on Wednesday.
The team’s injury lists rest as the reason why Jackson did not participate. He has been listed with knee, ankle, and toe injuries since returning from a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury.
Jackson has not missed any games despite missing practices the last four weeks.
Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (shoulder) was also out of practice on Wednesday. Running back Keaton Mitchell (knee), linebacker Tavius Robinson (foot), and cornerback Nate Wiggins (foot) were limited participants. Safety Ar’Darius Washington (Achilles) was a full participant.
Neither Robinson nor Washington is currently on the 53-man roster for Baltimore, so they’ll need to be activated to play against the Bengals this week.
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is back in concussion protocol, but he had a limited practice on Wednesday. That gives him a chance to be cleared in time for Sunday’s game against the Ravens.
Higgins missed Week 13 with a concussion and then hit his head on the turf multiple times in Week 14.
He has 46 receptions for 667 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) did not participate in Wednesday’s session as he underwent season-ending core muscle surgery. Fellow defensive end, Shemar Stewart, looks like he’s ready to return from his knee injury as the rookie, who is on injured reserve, had a full practice.
Safety PJ Jules (ankle) did not practice.
Those were the only four players on the roster not to have full participation.
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.
