Three weeks of rehab, a week back at practice, and one snap. That’s what the Ravens got out of Lamar Jackson’s return in Buffalo on Sunday.

On their first offensive play, Jackson’s throwing hand slammed into Gregory Rousseau’s as Rousseau went up to knock the pass down. Jackson grabbed his right thumb, walked off, and came back out in the third quarter with a cast on it.

Jesse Minter confirmed after the 36-10 loss that Jackson needs surgery and is headed to injured reserve. Asked if it could end his season, Minter said:

Potentially, but we’ll see where it’s at.

That’s the official line, and until the Ravens say something different, it’s the only one worth running with. What we do know is that IR means at least four games: Jacksonville, the Chargers, at Carolina, and at Houston. With the Week 13 bye, the earliest he could realistically be back is Dec. 13 against Tampa Bay.

So the real question isn’t when Lamar comes back. It’s what’s left for him to come back to.

The Cupboard Got Bare in a Hurry

Here’s what turns this from a gut punch into a full-blown crisis. Tyler Huntley came in, got pressured on two of his four throws, and then he left in the second quarter with a toe injury. Minter’s already ruled him out for Thursday.

That handed the game to Joe Fagnano, an undrafted rookie who went 10-of-21 for 91 yards with an interception and a lost fumble while Buffalo blitzed on 64.5% of their snaps — their highest rate since 2021. Baltimore became the first team since the 2017 Cowboys to have three quarterbacks throw a pass before halftime. Not exactly the kind of history you hang a banner for.

Fagnano’s banged up too, nursing an ankle after taking a low hit from Ed Oliver. Asked if he’d be good to go against Jacksonville, he said:

I think so.

Not a guarantee, but I’ll take the honesty. The Ravens signed Austin Reed to the practice squad Monday, and they’ve reportedly reached out to Chicago about Tyson Bagent, who played for offensive coordinator Declan Doyle with the Bears. Oh, and the kicker’s hurt. Tyler Loop has a groin issue, so Jake Moody’s expected to kick Thursday. At some point you’ve got to wonder if somebody in Owings Mills broke a mirror.

What Actually Walks Out the Door with Lamar

The easy answer is “everything,” but it’s more specific than that. Jackson was completing almost 71% of his passes and was leading the league in yards per attempt at better than 10 a throw. Baltimore went 3-1 in games he started. Without him this season, the Ravens have six touchdowns in 18 quarters.

The biggest casualty is Derrick Henry. He ran for a league-high seven touchdowns in the first four games, and a big reason why is defenses had to account for the quarterback before they could crash down on him. Take that threat away, and the box gets crowded fast. With Huntley under center, Henry had 17 carries for 58 yards in Cleveland and 17 for 45 against Cincinnati.

Henry said after the Bengals game:

Stagnant. Not effective. No explosives.

Tough to argue with that.

The passing game shrinks, too. Huntley averaged just 4.7 air yards per attempt in the overtime win in Atlanta, and defenses have figured out he doesn’t want to push it much past 15 or 20 yards. That’s how you end up with Zay Flowers posting the first catchless game of his career, like he did Sunday.

So What Can They Actually Salvage?

Minter talked about leaning on the defense and “maybe a different style of offense,” which is coach-speak for “we’re not running Lamar’s offense with a rookie.” I get that. On a short week, that means keeping it simple. Quick game, extra protection against the blitz, moving the pocket so Fagnano isn’t a sitting duck, and enough heavy sets to make Henry a real problem again.

There’s at least something to work with. Fagnano threw 28 touchdowns and one interception at UConn last year, so he’s shown he can take care of the football. He’ll need every bit of that against a Jacksonville defense with nine picks through seven games.

And history tells us not to get our hopes up for the young gunslinger. Since 2019, the Ravens are 7-14 in games Jackson hasn’t started.

I’m not burying this season. Roquan Smith put it best:

Obviously it sucks, but season’s not over.”

But honestly, you've got to steal two of the next four, keep the defense from caving in the second half, and hope they’re still within shouting distance if and when No. 8 gets the green light. That’s not the season anybody pictured in September. It’s the one they’ve got.

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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