Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will miss tonight’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with an ankle injury, though NFL Network says he has a real chance to return next week.
Jackson has been ruled out after missing practice all week, and Tyler Huntley will start in his place. The injury hit in the first half of Baltimore’s 24-18 win over the Tennessee Titans, and the two-time MVP has been limited ever since.
Newsweek reported the latest outlook from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who flipped from a bleaker assessment earlier in the week to a clearer path forward if rehab holds.
Earlier this week, Rapoport had described only an outside chance Jackson would play soon and raised the possibility he could miss multiple games. The new word is sharper and more optimistic.
Rapoport posted that Jackson “has a real chance to return next week, pending rehab.”
"has a real chance to return next week, pending rehab."
He added more on video about the quarterback’s push to get back on the field.
"It sounds like he has been in the building early working crazy to get himself back on the field,"
Rapoport said that return is the target for Jackson and the people close to the situation.
"That is his goal. We’ll see how rehab goes, but that is the hope."
Huntley already steadied the offense once. In relief against the Titans he went 8-of-9 for 63 yards, and coach Jesse Minter said the team has “a ton of confidence” in him.
That confidence will be tested. Atlanta just beat the New Orleans Saints 45-24 and pressures quarterbacks at the second-highest rate in the NFL. Huntley steps into a hostile look without the Ravens’ usual dual-threat starter.
Baltimore still expects help on the perimeter. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that receiver Zay Flowers is expected to play despite a questionable tag, giving Huntley a familiar safety valve if the pocket collapses.
The sequence is straightforward. Jackson went down in the Titans win, sat out practice the entire week, and is unavailable tonight. Huntley starts. Rehab continues. Next week remains the first realistic window if the ankle responds.
For a franchise built on Jackson’s legs and improvisation, one missed game is manageable. A longer absence would change the math. The early returns on his work ethic inside the building suggest he is treating the short window as a deadline, not a suggestion.
Availability still decides seasons in the NFL. The players who show up and the backups who deliver are the ones who keep contenders alive.
