Ravens' Jesse Minter shares fresh Lamar Jackson injury update

A Monday report revealed that the Baltimore Ravens had "hope" that starting quarterback Lamar Jackson could play for the 3-1 Ravens' road "Sunday Night Football" game at the suddenly hot Atlanta Falcons (2-2) on Oct. 11. 

Jackson suffered an ankle injury late in the first half of Baltimore's 24-18 win over the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday. While speaking with reporters on Monday, first-year Ravens head coach Jesse Minter suggested there's a chance Jackson won't be able to go against the Falcons. 

Ravens "don't know" if Lamar Jackson can play vs. Falcons?

"I don't know the chances yet," Minter said about Jackson's status for the Week 5 matchup in Atlanta, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN. "We're still gathering a lot of the information and the imaging and things like that, just dealing with a little bit of an ankle, and we'll kind of see where that shakes out. [I have] full trust and confidence in him that when it's ready to roll that we'll roll and go from there."

Backup Tyler Huntley replaced Jackson against the Titans and did well to ensure that contest didn't turn into a disaster for the Super Bowl contenders. Versus Tennessee, Huntley went 8-of-9 passing for 63 yards and no touchdowns. He will start against the Falcons if Jackson can't play. 

Jesse Minter knows Ravens can't simply replace Lamar Jackson

Somewhat out of nowhere, the Falcons became responsible for an intimidating offense after quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returned to the club's lineup in Week 3. On Sept. 24, Penix guided Atlanta to an impressive 35-14 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. On Monday night, he completed 15-of-20 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in a dominant 45-24 win at the rival New Orleans Saints. 

As much as Minter has faith in Huntley, the coach understandably hopes Jackson will be able to start at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium this coming Sunday night. 

"There's one Lamar Jackson, the guy's a two-time MVP," Minter added during his comments. "And so I think for anybody to have to say we're being compared to Lamar is unfair and not realistic. I think [Huntley] as a backup quarterback in this league and even as a starter at times, has shown the ability to come in and really kind of run the offense, make plays with his legs, be able to make plays on third down."

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Ravens as 2.5-point road favorites over the Falcons. How that line moves over the next several days could indicate whether or not certain insiders believe Jackson will be available for Baltimore against Atlanta.