Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been ruled out of their week 18 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh has officially ruled out quarterback Lamar Jackson for Sunday’s game against the Bengals.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2023
Jackson will miss his fifth straight game after spraining his PCL in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. His availability for the playoffs remains up in the air since he hasn’t practiced since he suffered the injury. The Ravens have been doing everything they can without his star quarterback. Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley has been disappointing after playing pretty well last season in Jackson’s reliever.
Jackson makes the difference at the quarterback position because of his nearly unstoppable running ability. Jackson holds the all-time single-season record for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback. Huntley can also run a bit, but not as effective as the Ravens who don’t have more runs designed for him.
This season Huntley is 2-2 as a starter completing 67% of his passes. Although the Ravens haven’t been passing the ball much, Huntley is still completing passes at a pretty good percentage. The entire Baltimore Ravens game plan, even with Jackson under center, has been working effectively. Since Jackson was drafted, the Ravens haven’t had that number one receiver for the opposing defense’s game plan. Baltimore even traded Marquis Brown to the Arizona Cardinals for a first-round pick, which is pretty good value nonetheless.
Presumably, Huntley will start once again against the Bengals in what is a must win for both teams. Baltimore still ranks second in the AFC North behind the Bengals. Although the Ravens can’t mathematically win the AFC North, it’s still an important game for ranking purposes.
Even in a divisional game, the Cincinnati Bengals are 9.5-point favorites according to NFL betting sites. This line suggests that the sportsbooks did not expect Jackson to play.
