Ravens QB Lamar Jackson misses practice again with ankle injury

The defense of the 8-7 Baltimore Ravens has been decimated by injuries, but it's the sprained right ankle that sidelined star quarterback Lamar Jackson over the past two games that's had some Baltimore fans panicking heading into Sunday's matchup against the 11-4 Los Angeles Rams. 

Jackson was back on the practice field as a limited participant Wednesday but missed Thursday's session, and Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk notes the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player was also a non-participant on Friday. This, seemingly, has backup Tyler Huntley on track to start for Baltimore in what will likely be a must-win contest on the first Sunday of the new year.

Huntley was unable to play in last Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals because he was on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but he performed admirably filling in for Jackson against the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers. Versus the Packers in Week 15, Huntley completed 28-of-40 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns with 73 rushing yards and two additional scores on the ground in a 31-30 defeat.

Third-stringer Josh Johnson, Baltimore's spot-starter for the Week 16 loss at Cincinnati, will serve as Huntley's backup if Jackson can't go Sunday. 

If the Ravens fall completely out of the playoff picture by the closing minutes of Monday night, expect them to shut Jackson down until his services are required for offseason activities.