Inside complicated injury history of Ravens' Lamar Jackson - ESPN

Lamar Jackson's 2026 season is turning into the most injury-filled one of his nine-year career.

Jackson missed three games with a high left ankle sprain and returned only to injure his right thumb on his first snap of Sunday's game at the Buffalo Bills.

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.

Two weeks ago, there was a feeling within the team that Jackson was going to be able to play last Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. He practiced as a limited participant all week, worked with the first-team offense that Friday and took part in the television production meetings, which usually signifies he will be the starting quarterback.

But Jackson was ruled out last 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 two weeks ago, 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]