For the third time in as many weeks, Lamar Jackson has no injury issues and will start for the Baltimore Ravens despite missing practice due to a separate injury.
Jackson is good to go for Thanksgiving as he will lead Baltimore in the nightcap of a Türkiye Day tripleheader against the rival Cincinnati Bengals.
This week, Jackson was unable to attend Monday’s walkthrough due to a toe injury, aggravating his foot ailments over the past month. In previous weeks, Jackson missed practice due to ankle (Week 12) and knee (Week 11) injuries. This comes after he missed three games earlier this season with a hamstring injury.
Jackson has completed 66.7% of his passes this season for 1,595 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions with a 111.0 passer rating that ranks second in the NFL.
Baltimore has won five in a row to dig itself out of a 1-5 start with Jackson under center in the Final Four. Still, the two-time MVP isn’t exactly looking like his usual dynamic personality, leading some to believe that serious injuries could hinder his play. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown in either of his last two starts.
Jackson and the Ravens will be heading into an important week for the AFC North.
Baltimore (6-5) is tied atop the division standings with the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5), who could welcome back Aaron Rodgers, who missed Week 12 with a left wrist fracture.
Jackson and the Ravens will face a Bengals team (3-8) that is all but out of the playoff picture, yet is boosted by the return of franchise QB Joe Burrow, who has not played since Week 2 due to a toe injury.
Both superstars will ignore toe injuries to face each other for the eighth time in their illustrious careers.
Playing opposite Burrow, Jackson holds a massive 7-1 advantage and has a lot of holiday history on its side.
The Ravens are 2-0 all-time on Thanksgiving, although Jackson will be making his first start on the holiday since Joe Flacco started the two previous games for the franchise – the last in 2013. Additionally, Jackson and the Ravens would go on to have a three-game holiday winning streak, achieving Christmas wins in 2023 and 2024.
Jackson and the Ravens (6-5) kick off against the visiting Bengals (3-8) on Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET.
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