Lamar Jackson Practice Absence Continues And Status For Ravens Playoff Game Not Looking Good

The Baltimore Ravens are in rough shape as they begin preparations for their Sunday night playoff game with the Cincinnati Bengal. The reason? It seems they may have to play that game without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Jackson, who has not played since he sprained his PCL on Dec. 4, was not seen during the open portion of the Ravens practice on Wednesday. That tells us things:

Unless the Ravens are using a spycraft approach, it means Jackson is not practicing. And everyone within the Ravens organization, including coach John Harbaugh, has agreed Jackson must practice to play. The long layoff is the reason for that.

So it seems a near certainty Jackson won't be able to play against the Bengals.

Ravens Jackson Has Worked To Return

Why isn't Jackson practicing? He's not recovered from the injury.

He's certainly not fully recovered. And a source told OutKick it's impossible to predict how long before Jackson reaches that plateau. The source said it can take between "3-4 months" to come back from the more serious PCL sprains.

It also should be noted Jackson's game is tied to his ability to make off-script plays outside the pocket. He is a dual-threat quarterback. A sprained PCL doesn't really allow for that.

Jackson has missed 16 practices since his injury. It's been 38 days since he's thrown a pass in a game or practice.

The Ravens are expected to start Tyler Huntley at quarterback against the Bengals.

The first problem with that is Huntley is battling tendinitis in his right (throwing) shoulder. The second problem with that is Huntley isn't Lamar Jackson. He was present at Wednesday's practice, but local reporters did not see him throw a pass.

The Ravens aren't the only playoff team on track to be without their starting quarterback this coming weekend. On Wednesday, the Dolphins announced starter Tua Tagovailoa is out of their game against the Buffalo Bills.

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