Ravens QB Lamar Jackson misses practice, and there were plenty of others also out

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Now the Baltimore Ravens have to face the most daunting of challenges — the possibility of playing without quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The two-time MVP did not practice Wednesday, three days after he left a loss at Kansas City with a hamstring injury. By the time that game ended, all four of Baltimore’s first-team All-Pros from last season were injured. The Ravens host Houston on Sunday.

“We’ll kind of take it day by day through the week,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s really all those guys. We could sit here and you could ask me about every single guy, and it’s a fairly long list. Who’s got time for that?”

The rest of Baltimore’s injury report was as follows: linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), fullback Patrick Ricard (calf), wide receiver Tez Walker (oblique) and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf), Nate Wiggins (elbow) and Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Safety Kyle Hamilton (groin), linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), center Tyler Linderbaum (calf), nose tackle Travis Jones (knee), defensive end Brent Urban (finger) and tackle Emery Jones (shoulder) were limited.

“You’ll see who practices and who didn’t, and we’ll be working our way through the week with guys,” Harbaugh said. “You’ll see guys back tomorrow, you’ll see guys back Friday, see guys back Sunday. We’ll get as many guys back as we can, but we’re also preparing for not having some guys back.”

If Jackson is one of those players who can’t go this weekend, the Ravens do have experienced backup quarterbacks in Cooper Rush, who started eight games for Dallas last season, and Tyler Huntley. But for a Baltimore team that is already 1-3 with plenty of problems to fix on defense, losing its most important offensive player could create an even bigger crisis.

The Ravens have lost nine of their past 11 games when Jackson did not play.

“That’s a challenge, obviously (with) the type of player and leader that Lamar is and how much he means to us,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “The beautiful thing is that we have a lot of fighters in this group and a deep organization with a ton of players that are going to step up and make plays. I just have a lot of faith and trust in the guys.”

Rush was in a similar situation last season with the Cowboys, when he had to replace Dak Prescott around midseason. Dallas managed to go 4-4 in the games Rush started, although one of them was a 34-10 loss to Houston.

Now the Ravens face both the Texans and the Los Angeles Rams before they’ll have a chance to regroup with an open date.

The 31-year-old Rush has a career passer rating of 83.6.

“He is going to know what to do, and I know he’s fired up for the opportunity to go show what he is all about,” Andrews said. “There’s a reason why he’s been in the league for nine years.”

The problem for Baltimore is that the offense hasn’t even been the most concerning side of the ball. The Ravens have allowed 133 points in four games, and the injuries to Smith, Humphrey, Wiggins and defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike — out for the season with a neck issue — have the potential to make a bad situation worse.

“There’s a whole bunch of fighters, a whole bunch of dogs in that room,” linebacker Tavius Robinson said. “Truthfully, I know how everyone’s going to respond. I know how this team’s going to respond, and I saw it today out at practice.”

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