Earlier this month, Lamar Jackson stood on the sideline for most of the second half after his left ankle bent awkwardly in the Baltimore Ravens' win over the Tennessee Titans.
The sight of the Ravens quarterback keeping on his shoulder pads and jersey suggested he might have been able to return to that game. Three weeks later, it's still uncertain when Jackson will suit up again from his high ankle sprain.
If Jackson's injury history has taught the football world anything, his timeline to return can be complicated and an extended absence can derail the Ravens' season. But ultimately, the only one who truly knows when Jackson will return is Jackson himself.
"Look, if he's able to play, [is] healthy enough to play and play the way that obviously we feel like he needs to play, then he will play," coach Jesse Minter said Monday.
On the day Jackson was injured, Minter said there were "some talks" about Jackson returning to the game and initially indicated he was "dealing with a little bit of an ankle" injury. Jackson then didn't practice for two weeks and was ruled out of the games against the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns.
Last week, there was a feeling within the team that Jackson was going to be able to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. He practiced as a limited participant all week, worked with the first-team offense Friday and took part in the television production meetings, which usually signifies he will be the starting quarterback.
But Jackson was ruled out Saturday after he experienced increased swelling in his injured left ankle, according to a report during the CBS game broadcast. Tracy Wolfson, the sideline reporter for Sunday's game, posted on social media that it "came as a shock to the Ravens that Lamar couldn't go." Minter later said that was "a little bit" of a mischaracterization.
In his first comments since getting injured, Jackson made it clear last week that the decision to play comes down to pain tolerance. It still hurts for Jackson to plant his foot when running.
"If I can just go out there and feel the pain a little bit, I can play," Jackson said. "But [if] I'm restricted and I can't do what I do, [then] I'm not helping [anybody]. If I can just go out there and just be a statue and be hit, that's not helping my team at all."
Jackson has now missed multiple games because of injury in four of his past six seasons, but it's a flawed narrative to describe him as the NFL's most injured quarterback. Jackson, who has been sidelined for 17 games with injuries (excluding COVID and illness), has missed fewer games than four other starting quarterbacks -- Kyler Murray (31), Dak Prescott (26), Daniel Jones (25) and Joe Burrow (22) -- since 2019.
"It seems like Lamar's the only quarterback that kind of gets the slander that he gets for anytime anything is going on," Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said earlier this month. "I feel like you just don't see these same articles, and you don't see these same headlines. I think it's unfair treatment."
Humphrey added, "I just feel like it goes -- sometimes it seems like it gets away from -- I don't know if it's because of lack of agent or what, that no one can kind of defend him. I do know this: If Lamar Jackson can play, if he's healthy enough to play, he will play."
When Jackson misses time, it can turn the Ravens from a championship contender to a team struggling to make the postseason. In the three seasons in which he has missed at least four games, Baltimore failed to make the playoffs twice (2021 and 2025).
This season, Jackson started off strong and looked like an MVP candidate in his first four games. He ranked third in QBR (82.7), throwing six touchdowns and one interception. Jackson also led all quarterbacks with 144 yards rushing.
After Jackson sprained his ankle, the Ravens went from being atop the AFC North at 3-1 to falling to last place in the division at 4-3. Baltimore next travels to Buffalo to face the Bills (5-1). Minter said Jackson is in a "decent spot" health-wise entering this week.
"Lamar is one of one, right? [He's a] two-time MVP, obviously a high-caliber player," Minter said. "But I just don't like the built-in excuse of why things are going a certain way. So, while we know the caliber of player Lamar is and the numbers when he's out there versus when he's not, we understand all that. That's why he's who he is and why he's won the awards that he's won, but we can still operate better in those times where we don't have him, for sure."
2021: Ankle injury
Five years ago, Jackson suffered the first significant injury of his NFL career when he was carted off the field in Cleveland in December. In trying to escape the pocket on a pass play, Jackson went down to the ground after Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah dove at Jackson's heels.
Jackson sustained a bone bruise on his right ankle that wasn't considered serious at first.
After the season, then-Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, "The first week, he thought he had a chance. The second week, he assured me, he said, 'I'll be back. I'll be back.'"
Jackson ended up missing the final four games, all of which resulted in losses. Baltimore went from leading the AFC North at 8-5 to failing to earn a playoff berth.
"Those things are really unpredictable," Harbaugh said.
2022: Sprained knee
In early December, Jackson was hurt on the last play of the first quarter when he was sacked from behind by linebacker Jonathon Cooper. It looked like Jackson's left knee was driven into the ground when Cooper landed on top of his back.
Jackson sprained his PCL, but Harbaugh announced it wasn't a season-ending injury.
"We'll see if he can go back this week," Harbaugh said after the game. "If not, it'll be sometime after that shortly."
It turned out to be a season-ending injury for Jackson, who missed the final five regular-season games as well as the wild-card game in Cincinnati.
Ravens officials were confident that Jackson would return for the postseason until Jackson posted on social media three days before the game. He explained his left knee "remains unstable" and that his injury is more serious than originally believed.
Jackson indicated that he has "suffered a PCL Grade 2 sprain, on the borderline of a strain 3."
"I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything, but I can't give a 100% of myself to my guys and fans," Jackson wrote. "I'm still hopeful we have a chance."
The Ravens lost to the Bengals 24-17 when backup Tyler Huntley's fumble on a quarterback sneak at the goal line turned into a 98-yard winning touchdown return for Cincinnati.
2025: Hamstring
In late September, Jackson left midway through the third quarter of a loss at the Kansas City Chiefs after being sacked by defensive end George Karlaftis and did not return. He sat on the bench for the remainder of the game, occasionally flexing his injured right leg.
Jackson was out for the next three games, but not without a misunderstanding. After Jackson's second missed game, Baltimore originally listed Jackson as a full participant in a Friday practice before changing his practice status to limited a day later because he ran only the scout team. The Ravens then ruled out Jackson.
After returning, Jackson never looked at full strength the rest of the year. He was 8-5 as the starter for the remainder of the season, throwing 17 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Jackson also chose not to run as much, averaging 25 yards rushing in the final 13 games.
This month, Jackson expressed regret for coming back too quickly from that hamstring injury.
"I feel like that was dumb a little bit," Jackson said.
Almost exactly a year later, the Ravens are in waiting mode again for Jackson.
"I think when Lamar and our training staff and our doctors and myself and everybody in the organization feel that it's best for him to be on the field, that he'll be on the field," Minter said, "and everybody will know when that is."