The much-anticipated return of Lamar Jackson only lasted one play as he injured his right thumb on his first pass in the Ravens’ 36-10 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The day wasn’t much longer for backup Tyler Huntley as he injured his toe a few series later, which left the Ravens down to third-string rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano. The Ravens were left in a tough position on the road against a first-place team, and it did not end well.
It wasn’t flashy, but the Buffalo offense dominated the time of possession and made sure to end drives with touchdowns. They finished with over 400 total yards, including over 145 yards rushing and despite two turnovers, never let the Ravens back in the game. The Bills defense limited the Ravens to only 144 total yards and turned them over three times.
The shock of the Jackson injury, followed immediately by Huntley’s, was too much for the Ravens to overcome. The defense kept it close in the first half but could not hold up in the second. With Fagnano, the offense could not do much, only managing a field goal in the second half on their opening drive. They also committed three turnovers, and Fagnano was sacked four times.
The news went from bad to worse after the game as Ravens head coach Jesse Minter confirmed that Jackson would be getting surgery on his thumb and will be placed on injured reserve. They will now have to figure out how to go forward without their start quarterback for potentially the rest of the season. This will now be two straight seasons Jackson will miss a considerable amount of time due to injuries.
It is a short week with a game coming up on Thursday against the red hot Jacksonville Jaguars. Hopefully, Huntley’s injury isn’t too serious, or the Ravens may be forced to turn to the undrafted rookie again. Fagnano showed some touch on a few of his passes, but the rookie did not handle pressure well (four sacks) and had two turnovers himself. The Ravens may need to sign a quarterback to the roster if Huntley is not able to go on Thursday. Fagnano may have also suffered a leg injury, so his status may not be clear as well.
The Ravens do return home for the short week matchup against the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. The 5-2 Jags are in first place of the AFC South division and are coming off a 42-7 blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens will host game at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday Nov. 5, at 8:15 p.m.
READ MORE:Losing streak continues as Ravens lose Jackson to IR in 36-10 loss to Bills
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