For three straight weeks, Lamar Jackson has been dealing with a different injury – and that's not even counting the hamstring that sidelined him for three games.
Jackson has missed a practice each week with knee, ankle, and now toe injuries.
Jackson said the latest injury happened when a New York Jets defender dropped his weight on him during a tackle in the first quarter. Like the other injuries, Jackson continued marching on and won.
"I just got fell on. I'm good, though. Toe's good," Jackson said.
Asked Tuesday if the injuries are compounding, Jackson smiled and said, "I'm feeling better in some areas."
Jackson has thrown for less than 200 yards in each of the past three games. He's tossed one touchdown to two interceptions. But he said he's not letting the nagging injuries frustrate him.
"I don't think about that. We're winning, so that's what it's all about," Jackson said. "I can't control an injury. Things like that happen. Unfortunately, it's just happening at the wrong time, I believe. But we're winning."
Head Coach John Harbaugh pointed out that Jackson has posted a 143.4 quarterback rating in the fourth quarter this season, when games are often won and lost. Jackson has thrown 10 touchdowns to just one interception in the second half of his eight games played.
After Sunday's 23-10 win over the Jets, left tackle Ronnie Stanley said the Ravens offense needs to improve if they're going to reach their Super Bowl goals. Jackson concurred with that belief, and part of the equation will be getting the two-time MVP healthy.
"I agree, absolutely. [We have] to put points on the board," Jackson said. "We can't keep putting [Tyler] Loop out there on each and every drive, because there's going to be some times when we're going against a high-motor offense, and they might score a lot of points, and we're going to have to match those guys. So, we just have to do our job."
Joe Burrow Explains Why He's Returning Ahead of Schedule
The Ravens could be going against a high-motor Bengals offense with the return of Joe Burrow this week.
When Burrow went down with a Week 2 toe injury that required surgery, it seemed like his season might be over. Now Burrow is coming back ahead of schedule to face the Ravens, even though the Bengals are 3-8 and have less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs, per ESPN.
On Tuesday, Burrow explained why he's risking injury coming back to play instead of sitting out the remainder of the season.
"I'm a football player," Burrow told reporters. "I'm not gonna ever go to somebody and say, 'I'm healthy, but I don't think I should go out there and play.' That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
"I'm not gonna live my life and play this game scared of something happening. Yeah, something's gonna happen. It's football. Guys are going to get hurt."
Ravens Can't Give Ja'Marr Chase Too Much Attention
Ja'Marr Chase exploded on the Ravens last season, posting 21 catches for 457 yards and five touchdowns in their two matchups. That's a decent season for many receivers around the league.
With Chase's running mate, Tee Higgins, ruled out for Thursday night's game with a concussion, Chase could see a heavy dose of Burrow passes come his way.
Harbaugh said Baltimore can't afford to give him too much attention, however.
"Ja'Marr Chase certainly does merit double coverage. He's one of the premier receivers in the league for sure," Harbaugh said. "It's hard to get to that because you've got other weapons out there. As soon as you pull the coverage too far away from other guys, then other guys start making plays on you. We'll have to balance all that out with what we do."
Chase was the inspiration for the Ravens' defensive pivot last season, in which they benched Marcus Williams and moved Kyle Hamilton back to a more traditional safety role.
The Ravens have already gone through a secondary shakeup this year, moving Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage after trading for Alohi Gilman. Baltimore also now has first-round rookie Malaki Starks patrolling the deep secondary.
But limiting Chase comes down to more than just defending the deep shots.
"Tackling is probably the No. 1 thing with him and No. 30 [running back Chase Brown]," Harbaugh said. "Those two guys, you've got to get them on the ground. Being in position, eyes in the right spot, playing leverage on different things like screens and things like that are going to be very important."
Harbaugh Gives Mike Green a Big Compliment
Ravens rookie Mike Green had his best game yet against the New York Jets with five pressures and a sack.
The second-round pick has been thrown into the deep end this season following Tavius Robinson's foot injury, and Green is now swimming comfortably.
"Stepped into a big role early on, and I think as time goes by, I got more and more comfortable out there," Green said. "I'm more familiar with our scheme we're running, I'm familiar with the guys I'm playing with. I think I'm out there just more confident than I was at the beginning of the season. It's trusting my capability and trusting myself."
Harbaugh said Green has made some "crazy good" reactions to screen passes that rookies sometimes are slower to recognize.
"He's amping it up. He's making some plays," Harbaugh said. "I think his pass rush is starting to really heat up. [He's] one of the more advanced young all-around players, probably that we've had in a while. He looks good."
Do not expect the "Draymond Green" nickname for Green and Dre'Mont Jones to catch on, however.
Ravens Wearing Special Patches Honoring John Madden
John Madden was a Thanksgiving tradition in many households over the years, and the Ravens will honor the late legendary football coach and broadcaster on Thursday night.
The Ravens have added a patch to their "Purple Rising" color rush jerseys.
