Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens are 1-5, coming off their fourth straight loss, and facing a long, uphill battle just to make the playoffs.
In other words, Lamar Jackson’s return cannot come soon enough.
Fortunately for Baltimore, Jackson should be ready to play after the team’s Week 7 bye, according to John Harbaugh. Following Sunday’s loss to the Rams, he said that Jackson and linebacker Roquan Smith would both “be back” after the bye.
Jackson and Smith both suffered hamstring injuries during the Ravens’ Week 4 loss to the Chiefs. The exact nature of Jackson’s injury was never disclosed, while Smith’s was reported to be a Grade 2 strain.
The importance of Jackson’s return cannot be overstated. The Ravens offense was struggling to find a rhythm even before Jackson went down; with the two-time MVP sidelined, the unit collapsed outright. Without him, Baltimore managed just 13 points and 507 total yards while committing six turnovers and missing far too many opportunities. Backup Cooper Rush started both games and threw four interceptions on just 29 passing attempts; on Sunday, he was benched in the fourth quarter for Tyler Huntley.
Smith may not have been playing his best football to start the season, but the team is still better off with him on the field. Teddye Buchanan and Trenton Simpson have both performed admirably with solid efforts against the run, but the Ravens need Smith to get back to his All-Pro form to turn the defense around. He will likely re-take the green dot upon his return.
On Monday, Harbaugh made it clear just how much he wanted his star quarterback back on the field.
“If I was on the couch with a psychiatrist right now, if I was spilling it, I would have to say I’m leaning really hard into [Jackson’s return], really hard,” said Harbaugh. “For any kind of psychological wellbeing, spiritual wellbeing, I’m leaning hard on that happening. So, I’m very hopeful that that happens.”
The rest of Baltimore probably feels the same way.
