After star quarterback Lamar Jackson left today’s game with an injury, Ravens’ fans braced for the worst as they’ve been dealt blow after blow with season ending injuries all year. Well, Baltimore can breathe a small sigh of relief as Bleacher Report’s Timothy Rapp reports that Jackson has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle.

The Ravens have been plagued all season by injuries to big name players. Before the season ever started, they saw running backs J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill, cornerback Marcus Peters, linebacker L.J. Fort, and defensive end Derek Wolfe all deal with injuries that would keep them out for the entire 2021-22 season. Over the course of the season, they’ve lost offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, safety DeShon Elliott, and cornerback Marlon Humphrey all to season ending injuries, as well. Not to mention they’ve seen a litany of players like defensive end Calais Campbell, tight end Nick Boyle, and fullback Patrick Ricard miss time with injuries over the season.

As brutal as these setbacks have been, losing Lamar Jackson for the year would effectively end any chance for a successful season in Baltimore. With the only returning running back from Baltimore’s record-breaking rushing offense being former-practice squad player Ty’Son Williams, Baltimore very quickly asked the 24-year old Jackson to shoulder more of the offense than he previously had in his career. Not only does Jackson captain the passing attack and lead the team in rushing, but the next closest player on the team in rushing yards has 322 less yards than Jackson. There is arguably no player more crucial to their team’s success than Lamar Jackson and his injury status appearing to be short-term is a bit of solace for a bruised Ravens team.

In his absence, second-year undrafted free agent Tyler Huntley will be available to fill in. Huntley has seen game action a few times in his short career and earned his first career start when Jackson missed Week 11 with a sickness. Huntley led the Ravens to a win over the Bears that week utilizing a 72-yard game-winning touchdown drive with 1:33 left in the 4th quarter. When Huntley replaced Jackson today in Cleveland, the Ravens were down 10-0 and saw their deficit grow to 24-6 before Huntley led a second half comeback effort that fell short with the Ravens just out of field goal range in a 24-22 loss.

The Ravens’ schedule doesn’t let next week as the Packers visit for an afternoon matchup. Baltimore will want to give Jackson a chance to practice before announcing Huntley as the starter. And they’ll be hoping for good news as they look to close out a contentious AFC North over a daunting last four games of the season.