Injuries are a huge part of the NFL landscape, and players can never take their good health for granted.
This week offered numerous reminders. Lamar Jackson talked in detail on Friday about the “very painful” ankle injury he suffered in Week 4 and his efforts to get back on the field Sunday to face the Cincinnati Bengals.
Earlier on Friday, Head Coach Jesse Minter announced that outside linebacker Tavius Robinson (pectoral) would miss the remainder of the season. That's a tough blow for the Ravens, and an even more unfortunate development for Robinson, who was off to the best start of his career. Starting safety Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) will also miss his first game as a Raven, which will mean changes in Baltimore's secondary rotation.
The Ravens have already had three centers lost to major injuries and they had 15 players on their injury report this week. Meanwhile, the Bengals enter Sunday's game fully healthy coming off a bye.
The week began with the Philadelphia Eagles announcing that quarterback Jalen Hurts was done for the season with blood clots in his lungs. It's only Week 7, but the campaign has already taken a heavy toll on many athletes who play the game and the Ravens have felt the brunt of it so far this season.
As for Jackson, he's "heading in the right direction," and he provided more details about his injury and rehab on Friday than he usually does. Make no mistake, playing with pain comes with the territory in the NFL, and that's the world Jackson's been living in for nine seasons. He's played through injuries before, and it was revealing to hear Jackson set the record straight about the current injury he's been dealing with.
Fortunately, it sounds like he'll be back soon. Hopefully, it'll be against the Bengals. Whenever Jackson feels good enough to play, that will be great news for the Ravens.
Here are my other thoughts heading into Week 7, all in 50 words or less:
- The Bengals have struggled to stop the outside run, tied for 23rd in rushing defense. That means Derrick Henry could be a Bengals problem, and he'll be all business after being contained by the Browns and losing a crucial fumble. I could see Henry busting loose on Sunday.
- The loser of Sunday's game will fall to 0-2 against the AFC North. That's something the Ravens want to avoid. They close the regular season with four straight games against the AFC North. But they don't want all those games to be must-wins to capture the division crown.
- It's hard to overstate how important it will be for the Ravens to contain Ja'Marr Chase. His 120.4 average receiving yards per game against Baltimore are the most by any player against a single opponent in NFL history (minimum 10 games). Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, get your rest.
- I concur with Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver that the Ravens need more takeaways. Joe Burrow threw two interceptions in the Bengals' loss to Jacksonville. He lost a fumble in their loss to Pittsburgh. He's a great quarterback, but the Ravens have a chance to force him into mistakes.
- The matchup between Trey Hendrickson and Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. will be fun to watch. Hendrickson will face his former team for the first time as a Raven. Brown, a former Raven, will be trying to keep Hendrickson at bay. That's a good heavyweight bout.
- Trenton Simpson predicted that Hendrickson would have a monster game against the Bengals. However, Simpson himself is having his best season. He scored the Ravens' highest defensive Pro Football Focus grade (90.2) in Week 6, and he's become an important piece of their run and pass defense.
- According to Jackson, Cam Jurgens is already taking charge of the offensive line during practice. Sounds like a center who is ready for his Ravens debut. If Jurgens helps solidify the offensive line, he'll go down as another key in-season acquisition for General Manager Eric DeCosta.
- Jackson has fared better against the Bengals than any other AFC North opponent. He has an 11-2 career record as a starter against Cincinnati, including some memorable highlights like a 360-degree spin move in 2019 that was one for the ages.
- After losing in Cleveland, Minter is still seeking his first win against an AFC North opponent. It may come against Zac Taylor, the only coach in the division who returned after last season. The Bengals’ coach had high praise for Minter this week.
- The Ravens will see three quarterbacks who can really spin it over the next three weeks – Burrow, Josh Allen of the Bills in Week 8, and Trevor Lawrence of Jacksonville in Week 9. Baltimore believes its defense is starting to gel. We're about to find out.
