What happened to Lamar Jackson? Tracing Ravens QB's frequent bouts with illness through 2021 NFL season
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have battled through adversity well before the regular season even began. They saw J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards go down with injuries, completely changing the offense before Week 1.
But Jackson has not faltered at all and enters Week 11 with the seventh-most rushing yards in the NFL with 639. Needless to say, the Ravens are in big trouble if he cannot stay healthy.
Jackson has not been affected by injuries this year. However, he always seems to show up on the injury report with some sort of illness. That is true again this week as he is now questionable with an illness. The team is saying it is not COVID, which is at least a good sign.
The #Ravens have added QB Lamar Jackson to the injury report with an illness and he’s officially questionable. He missed two practices this week, also with an illness.
What has been going on with Lamar Jackson?
This is now the third week of the season in which Jackson has missed time with some sort of illness. But he has not missed a game all year.
Any "illness" designation in 2021 instantly leads to fears that it is COVID-19. He did catch the virus twice last year, so fans have to be concerned about it happening for a third time.
It would be wrong to speculate about what Jackson is dealing with. If it is not COVID, he could have a variety of ailments. It is indeed flu season this time of year. The confusing thing here is that he was at practice Friday after missing time, only to seemingly feel terrible again Saturday.
His status for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears may come down to whether he can stomach, pun aside, playing a full game.
If Jackson cannot play, then it will be up to backup quarterback Tyler Huntley to go out and get the win. The Ravens only carry quarterbacks who have the mobility factor like Jackson. Yet while Huntley can move, he is not at the level of Jackson. Few, if any, players are, to be fair.
.@justnfields recognizes @Lj_era8's impact on the game. 💯 (via @chicagobears)
📺: #BALvsCHI -- Sunday 1pm ET on CBS
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This will likely end up being a true game-time decision. Anyone who has been sick, which is every person reading this, knows it is possible to wake up the next day feeling much better. The fact Jackson was at practice Friday is a good sign as well.
Baltimore is in a weird spot in Week 11. While they show up with extra rest, that came following a disastrous loss to the Miami Dolphins last Thursday night. They remain atop the AFC North entering the week, but losing Jackson would be a tough way to attempt to bounce back following the Dolphins loss.