Lamar Jackson, Jesse Minter Talk Ravens’ Superstar’s Potential Return

Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen is on! “We do think we’ll have Lamar next week,” Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter said about Jackson at a press conference on Friday afternoon. “I’m excited about that. He’s had a really good week of practice. It’ll probably end up showing that he was a full participant in practice this week. … “A credit to him and the work that he put in dealing with an injury and putting himself in a position to be back, and that’s obviously exciting for our team.” Jackson hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter of the Ravens’ Week 4 win over the Tennessee Titans, and will return in time for the team’s Week 8 showdown on the road against Allen and the Buffalo Bills (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET). Baltimore rolled with Tyler Huntley at quarterback in Jackson’s absence, going 1-2 in the three starts he made. Last week, Baltimore was outscored at home in the second half by the Cincinnati Bengals 35-0 after taking a 13-0 lead into halftime and has dropped two consecutive games in AFC North play; the Ravens lost on the road to the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 18. They’re in last place in the division at 4-3. “The sense of urgency is extremely high,” Jackson expressed in a Friday press conference. “Divisional game didn’t go the way we wanted to last week. Guys have been hitting the ground running, just trying to get back to where we should be in all phases; special teams, defense and offense.” Prior to the ankle injury, Jackson, a two-time NFL MVP in 2019 and 2023, totaled 967 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, one interception and a 119.6 passer rating, while completing 70.8% of his passes. He also rushed for 144 yards and one score. In all, Baltimore’s offense is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (141.7 per game), eighth in total yards (366.4 per game), 12th in points (24.1 per game) and 18th in passing yards (224.7 per game). With that said, star running back and five-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry, who has logged an NFL-high 147 carries, is rushing for a career-low 3.9 yards per carry.