What happened to Lamar Jackson? Ravens suffer massive blow as QB goes down vs. Bengals
The Baltimore Ravens scored a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in an opening drive engineered by Lamar Jackson. It has been downhill since then for them. Not because Cincinnati has come roaring back but because of the injuries Baltimore's key players have faced.
First, even before the touchdown was scored, tight end Mark Andrews went down injured having led the team to the red zone. His left ankle was injured in a hip drop tackle and he was ruled out for the game. But players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers were available for Lamar Jackson to throw to.
That optimism drained, though, towards the end of the first quarter when the Ravens quarterback was tackled from behind and his ankle got twisted. He was looked at by the medicos in the blue tent and was seen walking gingerly. Thankfully for Baltimore, however, their quarterback managed to return for their next offensive drive but did not scramble much. Instead, he gave the ball to running backs and tried some deep throws.
Whether that is just cautionary or something more protective is yet to be known.
Lamar Jackson's injury update
Lamar Jackson's injury was clearly not as serious as that of Mark Andrews as the quarterback returned while the tight end could not. But the question must be asked if the former NFL MVP is playing at his full potential.
While they scored on the opening drive, since then, the Bengals began dominating. Trailing 7-0, they eventually took the lead getting to 10-7. That even involved a missed field goal, otherwise, the Ravens would have been further behind.
Baltimore might need a new hero on their offense. But one thing is sure and that is that they might have a designated game villain already. Both Lamar Jackson's injury and Mark Andrews' injury were caused by Logan Wilson. The Bengals defender also injured both players by grabbing their ankles from behind and using the hip drop technique.
The game later saw another injury as well, with opposing quarterback Joe Burrow having some problems with his throwing arm. After leading the Bengals to a touchdown, he went to the sidelines, shook his head and headed down the locker room. In what was supposed to be one of the best games of the weekend, both the main protagonists were banged up. Such is the ferocity of the NFL and one hopes that both players do not have any lingering issues going forward.