OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t have much to say about the knee injury that kept him out of Wednesday’s practice other than it’s “getting better.”
After being listed as a full participant in his return to the field, however, Jackson left little doubt about his status for Sunday’s tilt in Cleveland against a defense that’s fully expected to come after him, especially knowing he may not be 100% physically.
“That’s cool with me. I’m cool with it,” said Jackson, who was blitzed by Minnesota a whopping 55.9% of the time in last Sunday’s 27-19 win. “We’re going to see.”
In Baltimore’s 41-17 victory over the Browns in Week 2, Next Gen Stats tracked Jim Schwartz’s defense with a 36.4% blitz rate, which was its second highest of the season. A group led by six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett doesn’t have many problems getting after quarterbacks even with a four-man rush, ranking eighth in the NFL in both sacks (27) and pressure rate (37.2%) despite being 14th in blitz rate (26.7%) entering Week 11.
While Jackson threw four touchdown passes against the Browns in the home opener, only one of those came on a drive longer than 36 yards, which speaks to the heavy lifting Baltimore’s defense and special teams did in a game that felt closer than the final score indicated. Cleveland held the Ravens to just 242 total yards and 45 rushing yards, which marked their lowest totals in a game started by Jackson this season. And with the offensive line continuing to face plenty of questions on a weekly basis, Sunday figures to be another challenging day in terms of running the football and protecting Jackson.
The Ravens remained without cornerback Marlon Humphrey (finger), wide receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle), running back Justice Hill (toe), and inside linebacker Jay Higgins (knee) during Thursday’s practice. Head coach John Harbaugh has already said Humphrey and Higgins won’t play in Cleveland while doubts grow about the availability of Bateman and Hill.
Rookie outside linebacker Mike Green was also added to Thursday’s injury report as a limited participant due to an ankle issue, which often indicates an injury occurring during practice and makes his status worth monitoring as the practice week concludes. The second-round pick has collected 1 1/2 sacks over the last three games and has played some of his best football since the bye week.
8Meanwhile, defensive end Alex Wright (quad) remained the only member of the Browns’ 53-man roster not to practice for the second straight day.
Below is Thursday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: WR Rashod Bateman (ankle), ILB Jay Higgins (knee), RB Justice Hill (toe), CB Marlon Humphrey (finger)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: OLB Mike Green (ankle)
FULL PARTICIPATION: QB Lamar Jackson (knee), TE Isaiah Likely (hip), RB Keaton Mitchell (knee), S Malaki Starks (knee)
CLEVELAND
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DE Alex Wright (quad)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: LB Jerome Baker (Achilles), WR Isaiah Bond (foot), OT Jack Conklin (rest), TE Harold Fannin (hamstring), LB Carson Schwesinger (shoulder), WR Cedric Tillman (glute)
FULL PARTICIPATION: G Joel Bitonio (rest), DE Myles Garrett (rest), OT Cornelius Lucas (back), TE David Njoku (rest), CB Denzel Ward (rest)
