Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) warms up before an AFC wild card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Ravens Could Get Bad injury Luck

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Of all of the factors that helped the Baltimore Ravens cobbled together one of last season's best records, whether they be their star quarterback leading the way, their deep roster or the specific teams they played, only one has been flipped into a potential hazard to look out for for this upcoming campaign.

They weren't just one of the NFL's healthiest on-field operations last year; their injury fortune was among the best we've seen in the last decade, with last season's Ravens finishing as the least-injured team since 2017.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell uprooted that statistic in picking his playoff teams, attempting to pay his respects to the sheer talent they threaten to throw at their opponents week-to-week while reckoning with the mathematical likelihood that that won't be that lucky again in this following season of continued contention.

Lamar Jackson is the face of that resurgent ability for the team to remain on the field, having dealt with his own health concerns since bursting onto the scene in 2019.

He saw his mid-20s tainted by spotty attendance numbers, playing well short of every game in multiple seasons in a row until his MVP bounce-back in 2023. Jackson played 16 games in reminding the public of his dominance with improved passing touch and started every single game the following year for the first time since he was a rookie.

His availability is most crucial of all, because as he's shown everyone, the Ravens only go as far as he takes them.

"If Lamar Jackson stays healthy, the Ravens are winning a lot of games," Barnwell wrote. "He has gone a whopping 70-24 as a starter in his pro career, good for 12.6 wins per 17 games. In his seven seasons with the Ravens, he has won four division titles in the five in which he wasn't sidelined by a late-season injury, coming up one game short of a fifth in 2020. Baltimore went 3-8 with Jackson sidelined down the stretch in 2021 and 2022, costing itself what might have been two more divisional titles in the process."

It helps that Baltimore's been so lucky with the majority of their high-drafted players, many of which have already gone on to flourish into stars. Home-developed pieces like Mark Andrews, Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum and Patrick Ricard have grown into stars within their roles, and they've each remained consistently available while doing so.

Some of the veterans they've recently signed to fill out their depth such as decorated receiver DeAndre Hopkins as well as proven cornerbacks in Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie have struggled to remain on the field in years past, and they certainly threaten Baltimore's regular turnout numbers, all pieces to watch out for as the Ravens attempt to defy history and probability this fall.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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