Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson addressed his injured knee for the primary time on Thursday in a sequence of tweets, writing that he’s been coping with a Grade 2 harm in his PCL, a ligament within the knee, that’s “borderline” Grade 3.
“There is still inflammation surrounding my knee and my knee remains unstable,” Jackson, who has not practiced or performed in a sport since he injured his left knee in opposition to the Denver Broncos on Dec. 4, wrote on Twitter. “I’m still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery.”
The probabilities of Jackson suiting up Sunday night time for the Ravens’ wild-card-round playoff matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals had been already slim, however Jackson all however confirmed he would formally be out with the tweets.
“I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything,” he posted, including he’s “hopeful we still have a chance.”
The Ravens averaged 25 factors in video games through which Jackson was the staff’s main quarterback this season, however the offense has slowed in his absence, scoring half that many per sport over the ultimate six weeks of the common season.
Tyler Huntley, Jackson’s backup, has been restricted in apply the previous two weeks with shoulder and wrist accidents. During the portion of apply open for media viewing, Huntley didn’t make throws Wednesday, however he did Thursday. If he’s wholesome, he’ll be in line to start out Sunday; if not, undrafted rookie Anthony Brown would make his second straight begin in opposition to Cincinnati.
“[Huntley] looked good,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman stated Thursday. “He’s progressing. It’s day to day.”
After Jackson damage his knee through the first half in Week 13, coach John Harbaugh described the harm as “not a season-ending” kind of knee harm.
“We’ll see if he can go back this week,” Harbaugh stated on Dec. 4. “If not, it’ll be some time after that shortly.”
In the weeks since, followers have awaited and hoped for excellent news. When requested on Dec. 26 if Jackson would apply that week, Harbaugh stated, “we’ll just have to see,” after which stated, “really there are no updates” on Jan. 6.
“The truth is we just really don’t know,” Harbaugh stated on the time. “I know everybody’s working as hard as they can. Lamar’s working as hard as he can, the trainers are working as hard as they can and [I] can’t wait for him to get back, obviously, just like everybody else.”
Surrounding Jackson’s harm standing has been his contract state of affairs. He reportedly sought a completely assured contract within the offseason, however he and the Ravens had been unable to come back to phrases, prompting him to play this season with none future deal in place. Some followers have hypothesized that Jackson just isn’t desperate to return for worry of additional harm forward of free company; had been he below contract, that may probably be much less of a priority.
Regardless of contract standing, coming back from a knee harm could be a daunting process. Dr. R. Frank Henn III, the chief of sports activities drugs on the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a sports activities drugs doctor on the University of Maryland Medical Center stated, in some circumstances, recovering from a PCL harm can take a number of weeks, though it may additionally require months.
“For athletes that need to do a lot of pivoting and cutting [it] can be a little bit harder to recover from than someone who doesn’t,” Henn stated final week.
The PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) connects the shinbone to the thighbone, just like the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Although PCL tears aren’t as extreme as ACL tears, they will nonetheless render a knee unfastened and unstable. A Grade 2 PCL harm means there’s a partial tear within the ligament, whereas a Grade 3 classification signifies one that’s utterly torn.
As Jackson has rehabbed his knee and the Ravens have turned to Huntley and Brown to play quarterback, Baltimore gamers have conveyed confidence.
“Lamar is one of one,” tight finish Mark Andrews stated this week, “but you look at the other two guys, ‘Snoop’ [Tyler Huntley] and Anthony Brown, there’s so much to trust in both of them.”
But with out Jackson, who has been one of many NFL’s most electrical offensive gamers since he debuted in 2018, the Ravens’ offense has struggled and oddsmakers have shrunk Baltimore’s probabilities to make a deep postseason run.
In the six video games they’ve performed with out Jackson, the Ravens haven’t scored greater than 17 factors. The offense could have not less than yet one more probability to place up a powerful outing with out the staff’s star: the Ravens are set to face the Bengals Sunday at 8:15 p.m. on NBC within the NFL’s wild-card spherical.
Wild-card spherical
Ravens at Bengals
Sunday, 8:15 p.m.
TV: Chs. 11, 4
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Bengals by 10
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Source: www.bostonherald.com
