Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson injured his knee Sunday against the Denver Broncos, forcing his backup to replace him for the remainder of the game.
The injury occurred during the first quarter of the game. Denver linebacker Jonathon Cooper tackled Jackson as the latter was attempting to sprint away from the collapsing pocket, and in doing so Cooper appeared to land on Jackson’s left knee with all of his body weight.
Lamar Jackson is injured pic.twitter.com/VfhDs8qvxU
— alex (@highlghtheaven) December 4, 2022
Quarterback Tyler Huntley entered from the bench for the injured Jackson and scored the go-ahead rushing touchdown in the final seconds of the game, knocking off the Broncos 10-9 to improve their record to 8-4.
Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh said during the post-game press conference that Jackson’s injury was not season-ending. He added it will be “days to weeks” before Jackson returns. Harbaugh said Jackson will undergo tests Monday to further understand the extent of the injury, and is hoping by Wednesday that they’ll have a definitive diagnosis.
Coach Harbaugh says it’s not a season ending injury for Lamar Jackson. pic.twitter.com/Nf0ZoUyHIi
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 4, 2022
The win was great and all, but if the former MVP can’t be on the field orchestrating the Ravens’ offense, the team won’t stand a chance against other top-tier teams in the AFC (American Football Conference) come playoff time. (RELATED: Matthew Stafford Heads To Injured Reserve With Neck Injury. Will He Bounce Back In 2023?)
There’s no way you could replace a player like Lamar Jackson. Jackson has led Baltimore in passing yards AND in rushing yards every season since 2019, according to ESPN stats. Baltimore’s offense revolves around Jackson and if he’s out for a number of weeks, the Ravens could suffer a major drop off in offensive production, which could be problematic as they Vye for postseason positioning.
The Ravens’ front office must have been hesitant about giving Jackson a max deal over the offseason. Dual-threat quarterbacks such as himself (those who both pass and rush the football) don’t generally last too many years in the NFL due to the physically grueling nature of their play style.
Great dual-threat quarterbacks who came before Jackson, such as Cam Newton, Mike Vick and Robert Griffin III, all suffered such notable injuries during their career from the dynamic style of play.
As cruddy as it is to say, it was only a matter of time before Jackson got hurt. The beating Jackson takes running the ball is just too much for the human body to withstand, and history has shown us it takes a toll.
It’s always unfortunate to see a great player get injured, but hopefully this injury is minor and Jackson can return to the gridiron sooner than later. The Ravens Super Bowl hopes will be crushed if he gets placed on injured reserve.