M&T Bank Stadium at night. Photo: BullDawg2021, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Ravens will start Jacoby Brissett at quarterback Monday night against the winless Los Angeles Chargers, and the team said Friday that Lamar Jackson’s broken and dislocated right thumb will take roughly six to 10 weeks to heal.
What the Ravens said about Jackson
The update came as a written statement from coach Jesse Minter, posted on the team’s website Friday morning. “Lamar is doing well as he recovers from the broken and dislocated thumb injury he suffered in Week 8,” Minter said. He added that recovery timelines are hard to predict, but that injuries like this one, which require surgery, typically take about six to 10 weeks. “We will let his progress guide the timing of his return.”
NBC Sports noted that teams rarely update injuries that way and that Minter had declined to address Jackson’s status at his Monday press conference. By its count, a six-to-10-week timeline puts a return somewhere between Week 14 and Week 18, and the Ravens may be out of the playoff race by then.
How the Ravens got here
Jackson hurt the thumb on Baltimore’s first offensive play against Buffalo on Nov. 1 and left the game. He had already missed three games with an ankle injury suffered in a Week 4 win over Tennessee. Backup Tyler Huntley went down early in the second quarter against the Bills with a toe injury that required surgery, leaving undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano to finish a 36-10 loss.
Fagnano started again four nights later and the Ravens lost 33-10 at Jacksonville. He threw for 151 yards over his six-plus quarters, Field Level Media reported. Baltimore is 4-5 and has been outscored 117-43 during a four-game losing streak.
Brissett’s first start in Baltimore
The Ravens acquired Brissett, 33, in a Nov. 6 trade after Arizona demoted him earlier this month. He is 23-50 as an NFL starter and has played for seven teams, including the Ravens. He first practiced with Baltimore on Wednesday.
“It’s hard for me to say what type of impact until it shows,” Brissett said Thursday. “I’m really just coming out, trying to do my job to the best of my ability, be a good teammate, keep things simple.”
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle told WBAL-TV that Brissett “has been able to pick up our offense very quickly” and brings “a little bit of stability to the situation.” Receiver Zay Flowers said Brissett has been telling the receivers how he sees routes and where they should be.
The other side
The Chargers are 0-8, the only winless team left in the NFL. Quarterback Justin Herbert left last week’s 44-22 home loss to Houston with a left middle finger injury. X-rays were negative, he is not on the injury report, and Harbaugh said Herbert will be ready to play.
For Baltimore, receiver Rashod Bateman (calf), safety Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) and guard Olaivavega Ioane (knee and shoulder) were limited in Thursday’s practice.
Jordan Phelps covers Baltimore for Voice of Baltimore.
