The ankle injury that sidelined Lamar Jackson for the second half of this past Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans is a sprain, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who reported that Jackson has only an outside chance to play Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons and could miss multiple games depending on how his rehab goes.
With Jackson seemingly unlikely to play in Atlanta, the Ravens have gone from 3.5-point favorites to 3-point underdogs.
The Falcons (2-2) have won back-to-back blowouts on the road, 35-14 over the Green Bay Packers in Week 3, and 45-24 over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Atlanta ran for a combined 447 yards in those games, led by All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson's 339 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
ESPN's Dan Orlovsky believes the Ravens' defense could be in for a tough night.
"I was concerned about [the Ravens] with or without Lamar Jackson," Orlovsky said. "Let me be clear: Lamar has been a top five quarterback in the NFL. His tape is sensational through the first four weeks. There will be a dropoff offensively.
"This run defense is struggling in Baltimore. One of the things that consistently shows up is how much they can get pushed off the ball. They are allowing backs to gain yardage before they're getting to that back far too often. … When it comes to where they are from a defensive EPA rank defending the run, they're a bottom three run team and they have not faced juggernauts run game-wise so far this year."
The Falcons have also gotten strong play from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. after he missed the first two weeks of the season while recovering from reconstructive surgery to repair the ACL tear he suffered last November. Atlanta went 0-2 without him this season, scoring a combined 16 points with former Raven Cooper Rush at quarterback.
The Falcons also have excelled at stopping the run. They have the No. 1 run defense and have not allowed more than 68 rushing yards in a game.
Zay Flowers Enters Offensive Player of the Year Conversation
Zay Flowers is the only Ravens wide receiver to ever make the Pro Bowl, and he might be on track to earn an even bigger accolade this season.
"I might think Zay Flowers will win Offensive Player of the Year," ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote. "For the four quarters of the season that a healthy Lamar Jackson and healthy Flowers have played together, Flowers has 13 receptions for 269 yards on just 31 routes. Flowers is seventh in total receiving yards (352) and 251st in total routes run (56) in the NFL. These are numbers even beyond Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba's current pace. If only Jackson and Flowers could stay on the field next to each other."
Despite dealing with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss half of one game, one full game, and limited his snap count in another, Flowers is averaging 117.3 receiving yards per game, which is fourth in the league behind the Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb (124.5), New Orleans Saints' Chris Olave (122.8), and Smith-Njigba (120.3).
The only Ravens player to win Offensive Player of the Year is running back Jamal Lewis in 2003.
Vega Ioane Makes The Athletic's Early All-Rookie Team
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler named his All-Rookie Team for the first quarter of the season, and first-round interior offensive lineman Vega Ioane made the first team.
"Credit to Ioane, who was drafted to play guard but asked to shift to center — he's played well despite having almost zero experience there," Brugler wrote. "Even after Lamar Jackson exited with an injury Sunday, Ioane's play didn't fall off."
Fourth-round tight end Matt Hibner and sixth-round punter Ryan Eckley made the second team.
"Hibner hasn't been a high-volume target, but his catches have been impactful, including a touchdown against Dallas and a key 25-yarder against Tennessee," Brugler wrote. "He ranks second behind [New York Jets' first-rounder Kenyon] Sadiq in both catches (five) and receiving yards (70) among rookie tight ends and has been a reliable blocker.
"Although his punting stats aren't near the top of the league, Eckley has been consistent when called upon. And he has been a trustworthy holder for Tyler Loop on field goals."
Second-round outside linebacker Zion Young and fifth-round nickelback Chander Rivers received honorable mentions.
Pundit Says Declan Doyle Is Earning Head Coaching Interviews
Under new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle, the Ravens' offense is No. 5 in yards and No. 7 in points. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Doyle is earning head coaching interviews.
"He has brought new elements to the Baltimore attack, and Lamar Jackson seems to really enjoy playing for him," Fowler wrote. "Word is that Doyle was highly impressive on the OC interview trail a year ago, not only in Baltimore but in Philadelphia, too. The league is always looking for ascending offensive minds to help build with a young quarterback, and the 30-year-old Doyle fits that mold. He has the poised demeanor to be a head coach."
Doyle would be the third Ravens coordinator to get a head coaching job since 2024, joining former Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald (Seahawks) and former Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken (Cleveland Browns).
