OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson did not practice Thursday, marking only the second time in his four-year NFL career that he has missed consecutive practices in the regular season.
Jackson is dealing with “a little back flare-up,” Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.
“I don’t think it’s anything serious,” Roman said before Thursday’s practice. “But we’re just going to have to kind of wait and see. I think he’s going to be in good shape. We’ll wait and see.”
The Ravens (2-1) have one more full practice before traveling to play at the unbeaten Denver Broncos (3-0) on Sunday. Jackson, who appeared fine when he spoke to reporters before Wednesday’s practice, has never been sidelined for a game because of an injury.
Thursday was the ninth regular-season practice that Jackson had missed, and just the third due to injury. The other absences were related to illness and a positive COVID-19 test.
The only other time Jackson has been out for back-to-back practices in the regular season was Week 5 of last season. He was sidelined for one practice with a knee injury and then missed the next day with an illness.
After returning for full participation for the final practice that week, Jackson had a career-low two rushing attempts in a 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
This season, Jackson has taken on tacklers more than he has in the past and has been hit a league-high 44 times, five more than any other quarterback. It’s also the most hits Jackson has taken in his first three games of a season since becoming Baltimore’s starting quarterback midway through the 2018 season.
In Sunday’s 19-17 win in Detroit, Jackson sustained some hard hits and got sacked a season-high four times. But he did participate in all 58 snaps.
With running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards out for the season, Jackson has been Baltimore’s top rushing threat, ranking fourth in the NFL with 251 yards.
This is the second straight week that Jackson has missed a practice. He was sidelined for one practice last week with an illness before having one of his best passing games a few days later in Detroit.
“We definitely want him and everybody out for every practice,” Roman said. “When they’re not, we adjust accordingly. Thankfully, we’ve been in this system going into three years now. With Lamar, it’s a little bit different than a guy who just got here.”
Jackson’s backup is Tyler Huntley, who won Baltimore’s No. 2 job with an impressive preseason. Like Jackson, Huntley plays with a similar style of extending plays with his legs and scrambling for big plays. Huntley, who went undrafted out of Utah last year, has never started a game in the NFL.