'Strong chance' Ravens' Lamar Jackson returns for wild-card game
On Friday, the Baltimore Ravens officially ruled quarterback Lamar Jackson out for Week 18's season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Jackson has "a strong chance" of playing in the Ravens' wild-card game next weekend.
Jackson will miss his fifth consecutive start this Sunday, with a PCL sprain suffered in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos.
Shortly after the injury, the Ravens' expectations suggested Jackson would be back sooner than the opening round of the playoffs. But as the weeks dragged on, it became clear that wouldn't be the case.
On Friday, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that "there really are no updates" on Jackson's status.
"People think I'm hiding something, but I'm really not," Harbaugh said. "I might be hiding something sometimes, but not in this case."
The Ravens started the season 8-4 with a healthy Jackson. However, since the former first-rounder went down, Baltimore has struggled to find consistency. In games without Jackson, the Ravens are 2-2, with wins coming against the Pittsburgh Steelers (16-14) and the Atlanta Falcons (17-9). Baltimore averages only 12 points per game with backup Tyler Huntley under center. In 12 games with Jackson in the lineup, the Ravens offense averaged 23 points a game.
Jackson, who turned 26 on Saturday, threw for 2,242 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions, boasting a 62.3 completion percentage before falling injured.
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