1:58pm: It will be Huntley for a fourth straight game. The Ravens have ruled out Jackson for Week 17.

12:27pm: Lamar Jackson‘s return timetable looks set to be pushed back another week. John Harbaugh said Friday it is a “fair assumption” Tyler Huntley will start against the Steelers.

This will be Huntley’s fourth start this season and ninth over the past two. Jackson’s initial timetable did not indicate he could miss four games, but it appears the Ravens will now hope for a Week 18 return. Jackson has not practiced since suffering a PCL sprain nearly a month ago. The Steelers will be set to face Huntley twice this season; the Ravens won the teams’ first matchup.

The Ravens have been going week to week with Jackson, but his lack of practice time puts his availability for the regular-season finale in doubt. Initial reports pegged a two- or three-game absence as the scenario to expect. Jackson has not undergone surgery, as Zach Wilson did to address his PCL injury in August. Wilson, however, also ended up missing more time than was initially forecasted. He went down August 13 and was given a two- to four-week return timeline, but the second-year Jets QB did not come back until Week 4.

Baltimore has clinched a playoff spot, winning two of Huntley’s three starts. The team has not exactly seen much from its passing attack during Huntley’s second go-round under center. Huntley averaged 193 passing yards per game during his four starts last season. In three this year, the former UDFA is averaging 113.7 per game. Of course, the Ravens’ receiving situation has taken multiple hits. Rashod Bateman has been out since October, and Devin Duvernay joined him on IR recently. Both wideouts are done for the season, increasing Huntley’s degree of difficulty.

The Ravens are 10-5, but if Jackson does not return until the postseason, the team will be unlikely to hold onto the No. 5 seed. Football Outsiders still gives the defensively powered team a 38% chance to stay in the 5 slot, where a Jaguars or Titans matchup would await, and views it as slightly more likely the Ravens win the AFC North than drop to the No. 6 seed. The 10-7 team will continue to hold out hope for Jackson to return, but a Bengals win and a Ravens loss this week would clinch a second straight division title for Cincinnati.

Shortly after Lamar Jackson‘s PCL sprain, a return after two missed games was rumored. John Harbaugh closed that door Thursday. Tyler Huntley will make a third consecutive start this week.

This will be Jackson’s eighth missed game in two seasons. The Ravens are 1-1 with Huntley at the controls this year, but they are coming off a listless performance — particularly in the passing game — and will also be without Devin Duvernay in Week 16. The third-year wide receiver suffered a season-ending foot injury in practice this week.

Ahead of the first game Jackson missed, a report indicated there was a “strong chance” he would not be fully healthy until the end of the regular season. This three-game absence matches Zach Wilson‘s miss count, but the Jets quarterback missed around a month before the regular season because of surgery. Jackson did not undergo surgery and obviously relies far more on his running ability compared to the Jets QB.

Last season, Jackson missed one game because of COVID-19 and four more because of a sprained ankle. While Huntley fared decently in the former MVP’s stead, the Ravens lost the five games Jackson did not finish to close out the season. This year, Jackson had the Ravens at 8-4 and atop the AFC North. Although the Ravens’ offense was scuffling a bit with Jackson before he went down — albeit with injuries at running back and a low-end wideout situation — the contract-year performer ranks ninth in QBR. That is up from 17th last season.

Jackson, 25, passed on Ravens extension offers this year and appears poised to be cuffed with the franchise tag before the March deadline. The exclusive tag number is expected to check in north of $45MM, giving the Ravens a historic cap hold on their payroll — unless they and Jackson can reach an extension agreement — entering free agency. Jackson has not exactly boosted his value this season, but his three Pro Bowls and historic run-game impact at his position will continue to make a case for an extension at or near the top of the QB market. Jackson is believed to have pushed for a deal on the Deshaun Watson level, guarantee-wise. While the Ravens have certainly missed him, the $100MM-plus gap between Watson ($230MM fully guaranteed) and the field in terms of full guarantees could create another staredown.

Baltimore closes the regular season with games against the Falcons, Steelers and Bengals. The team is one game back of Cincinnati going into Week 16. The Ravens’ October win over the Bengals would allow for a winner-take-all season finale — should both teams hold serve, a task that might be more difficult for the Bengals considering the Bills will head to Ohio for a Monday-night showdown Jan. 2 — in two weeks. Having Jackson back in time for that game will be paramount for a Ravens team that now has running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards together. Jackson has not played with both those backs in a game since the 2020 season.

The Ravens earned a last-minute, come-from-behind victory over the Broncos Sunday afternoon, but the main talking point in the aftermath of the game is the health of their starting quarterback. Lamar Jackson exited the contest after taking a hit in the first quarter, and did not return.

Jackson’s absence was caused by a knee injury, and it remains unclear at this point how much time he will miss as a result of it. When speaking to reporters after the game, head coach John Harbaugh said that Jackson’s recovery timeline would be a matter of “days or weeks,” meaning that it is not expected to be season-ending. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that the 25-year-old is believed to have suffered a knee sprain.

While more will be known in the coming days after further tests, an absence of any length would of course be massive for Baltimore. Jackson has remained the focal point of the Ravens’ offense in 2022, a season in which top wideout Rashod Bateman has suffered a season-ending foot injury, All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been limited to six games with lingering ankle issues, and the team has had a resultant inability to find a rhythm in the passing game. On the ground, the two-time Pro Bowler has paced the team with 755 rushing yards entering Week 13 – 363 more than the next-leading rusher.

From a financial standpoint, this injury could loom large. Jackson is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the year, after he and the Ravens could not reach an agreement on a long-term deal. A franchise tag is widely expected to be used if the same holds true in the coming months, but a lengthy absence – coupled with the Louisville alum’s inconsistent performances this year – could hurt Jackson’s leverage in future negotiations.

In Jackson’s absence, the Ravens turned to backup Tyler Huntley under center. The former UDFA made four starts to close out the 2021 campaign, after Jackson was sidelined by an ankle injury. He went 1-3 in that span, putting up middling passing numbers along the way. His rushing ability (6.3 yards per carry, two touchdowns), however, demonstrated his likeness to Jackson from a skillset perspective, something which could ease another transition to him as the starter if that proves necessary.

With the 10-9 win, the Ravens moved to 8-4 on the season and will retain their lead in the AFC North for at least one more week. Their prospects moving forward, however, could take a substantial hit depending on developments in the coming days.

Tyler Huntley will serve as the Ravens’ starting quarterback on Sunday, head coach John Harbaugh announced. This marks yet another missed week for Lamar Jackson, as the Ravens head into the regular season finale against the Steelers.

The Ravens’ 20-19 loss to the Rams was a costly one. They still have a chance — albeit a slim one — of making it to the playoffs, but they’ll need a whole lot to work in their favor this weekend. To qualify for an AFC Wild Card spot, the Ravens need a win, plus losses from the Chargers, Colts, and the Dolphins. The Ravens would also qualify with a win, losses from the Chargers and Colts, plus a Dolphins tie.

Huntley, a former UDFA, has had his moments, but nothing like Jackson when he’s at his best. Of course, this hasn’t been a banner year for the former MVP, but he’s still managed a 64.4% completion rate for 2,882 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions across a dozen starts. He’s also added 767 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.