In a Thursday night game filled with injuries, it appeared Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn’t going to escape unscathed.
Late in the first quarter of Baltimore’s 34-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Jackson scrambled away from pressure on third-and-4 from the Ravens’ 37-yard line and threw an underhand pass that fell incomplete as he was tackled out of bounds along the right sideline by Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson.
Jackson remained down for a few moments and was tended to by trainers before getting up and heading to the bench. He later entered the blue medical tent but quickly emerged and gave a thumbs-up as he spoke to assistants on the sideline.
The 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player returned to the game without missing any snaps and delivered a signature performance, completing 16 of 26 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 54 yards on nine carries.
That first-quarter scare wasn’t the only one, however, as Jackson also slipped a few times on the M&T Bank Stadium grass and twice fell down without being hit by a defender. But he bounced back up each time and showed flashes of his trademark elusiveness, scrambling for 10.71 seconds before throwing an incomplete pass to rookie Zay Flowers in the third quarter.
“[It was] very impressive,” coach John Harbaugh said. “The ankle [injury] over there in the sideline where that deal happened to bounce back and play the way he did and still have some mobility with hanging there to make those throws, it’s impressive.”
Jackson, who confirmed he wore a heating pad on the sideline, downplayed the injury, saying he’s “feeling good” and expects to play against the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 26 after the Ravens receive a mini-bye.
“We need to stop talking about this ankle,” Jackson joked with reporters as he knocked on the lectern for good luck. “I’m good. We’re not going to talk none of it into existence.”
Jackson hasn’t missed any games this season after sitting out 11 over the past two years, including a wild-card round loss to the Bengals in January. He signed a five-year, $260 million extension in April with $185 million guaranteed and has once again been among the league’s top quarterbacks as the Ravens (8-3) seek their first AFC North title since 2019.
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