Major Lamar Jackson Injury Update And 4 Key Takeaways From Ravens Third Straight Defeat

It’s November, the Ravens have two AFC victories, their feckless general manager has been exposed for the utter failure that he is once again, and his offensive line is truly a remarkable disaster which can’t stop getting quarterbacks hurt.

Welcome to the midpoint of the 2026 season; it’s even worse than 2025.

When you fire a future Hall of Fane head coach and over-empower Eric DeCosta, the huckster who can’t evaluate players or negotiate contracts with a modicum of acumen or professionalism, you can torpedo a season almost before it starts. This qualifies - another year of Lamar Jackson missing more time than he plays and more unsightly football in all three phases and Sunday’s 36-10 debacle at Buffalo may just have been the last truly meaningful game this fading team (4-4) plays.

Jackson was smashed in the hand by Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau on his first snap back from a high-ankle sprain that Ravens overmatched rookie coach Jesse Minter insisted was day-to-day for nearly three weeks (allegedly Ravens $30M “closer” Trey Hendrickson was active for this game; another DeCosta scam gone wrong). Backup Snoop Huntley was immediately under assault and he was gone before the midpoint of the second quarter with a toe injury and so undrafted rookie Joe Faganao took the rest of this beating in his NFL debut behind a line that was shameful in its approach and execution (Fagnano was receiving regular medical attention by the third quarter).

Minter said Jackson will head to Injured Reserve and when asked if it could be season-enning he said, "potentially." It's also potentially his final game as a Raven, in that case. Even a four-week absence means garbage time in the season for Baltimore and with no real contract moving forward, it would be stupid - even by DeCosta standards (super low bar) - for Jackson to play again. Baltimore has no tie-breaking hope as it's two conference wins are against teams a combined 3-11 (Colts and Titans).

"Things happen," Minter offered, "but it's how you respond."

DeCosta better get real about an always-necessary rebuild that should have started with his firing in January. And with the trade deadline now nine days away and his roster overloaded with horrible contracts for bad football players, a loss to the Jaguars should trigger a natural resetting of this organization that will beg major questions of the owner, Steve Bisciotti, and DeCosta for charting this path in the first place.

QB Crisis

Nov 1, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker TJ Parker (99) tackles Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Fagnano (12) during the second quarter at New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The fools in charge of this franchise better get another QB (or two) in here, but good luck finding one who had much experience with a coaching staff full of novices. This is dire, and it could definitely get worse. They face a stout Jacksonville team at home Thursday and the only other QB who was around them this summer for any period of time, Skyler Thompson, was put on IR before Fagnano for his chance to make the team.

A toe problem for Huntley can be a very big deal, and certainly more than enough to keep him from playing on a short week after being unable to play a half of football with the injury. Executing a trade and getting a player in Baltimore in time to know the offense and be able to serve even as a back-up with only one real day of practice this week is impossible. Will have to be a free agent or someone off a practice squad I figure, but either way this is quite a bleak scenario for the first few days of November. Fagnano will clearly be ailing after all the huge shots he took, and he too could miss what little practice time there is this week.

"We have to make sure Joe came through the game okay," Minter said, acknowledging more transactions might come with Huntley under review, too.

Jackson can call his shot next season given how he took DeCosta to school on his contract and why would want to sign on for more of this, you have to start to wonder. Miami will make a push, among others.

DeCosta Should Be Fired For This OL

Dec 31, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta speaks with tight end Mark Andrews on the sidelines before the game against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

I don’t want to hear about injuries to centers who aren’t even starting centers and were never going to be starting centers. Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn were silly vanity plays by a loser GM, he always needed a real center and the desperate, panic overpay for Cam Jurgens – very likely about to be benched in Philly – has already backfired, badly.

Jurgens missed two games with a concussion, offered nothing in the ground game in Week 7 and was totally exposed in Week 8. Somehow first-round pick Vega Ioane is the only competent lineman on this team, and he was hurt. Jurgens got abused on simple stints, the interior got abused and Baltimore had 52 yards in the first – even on three QBs that’s a joke. They were destroyed at the line of scrimmage. Rousseau undressed right tackle Roger Rosengarten whenever he wanted, or Ronnie Stanley on the other side.

Buffalo blitzed with abandon, and produced 9 QB hits, four hurries and four sacks on 17 dropbacks in the first half. Stanley is not a starting-caliber left tackle, DeCosta lit $10M on fire signing John Simpson and they continued to commit crushing penalties when they did move the ball, with Stanley’s hold negating Derrick Henry’s TD on the opening drive of the second half (Baltimore settled for a field goal).

"It's honestly a tough eval (evaluation) right now," Minter said, deferring to a tape study that is going to be ugly for all involved.

And while Mark Andrews is not an OL, he must be mentioned for being a total no show yet again. He is there to help the linemen, and it is beyond ridiculous how little he has to offer as a football player and how unthinkable it is that DeCosta is paying his buddy $13.5M a year to do nothing while letting Iasiah Likely walk.

But hey, "genius" coordinator Declan Doyle didn't get shutout for the third straight week after halftime. He put up a field goal.

Loop Is Gone

Oct 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens place kicker Tyler Loop (33) on the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

All the tough talk about kicker Tyler Loop, now’s the time to make the move to Jake Moody. Full disclosure – this team is no good, the GM is a mega fraud and they should be selling everyone they can before the deadline and playing the kids. But given the talking points DeCosta has been giving his puppet coach about this kicker – I believe this is it and Moody will get his shot (careful what you ask for).

Loop’s opening kickoff went out of bounds, setting up the Bills with great field position on what became a scoring drive. With the QBs under duress, every point would matter, and Loop missed a 27-yard field goal on a perfect day that would have tied the game at 10; Buffalo scored off what amounted to that turnover and the Ravens wouldn’t get any closer.

DeCosta is desperate for scapegoats and his greatest (only) strength as an NFL exec is convincing the glazed over billionaire he works for that it’s always someone else’s fault. The kid kicker will pay for this.

SOS Defense (Same ‘Ol Stuff)

Nov 1, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter looks on during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stop me if you’ve heard this before – the defense was awesome in the first half and then gave up a 50-yard explosive and a TD on the first drive of the second half and showed their true colors after the half? Yeah, that’s who they have been under DeCosta for years, and the half-field shot to DJ Moore, beating Marlon Humphrey, after Buffalo just missed on one late in the first half, told you all you need to know.

Good on the defense for bowing up after a terrible first drive and they showed some badly-missing determination and gumption on repeated short-yardage situations to stay in the game into the second half despite the QB injuries, but you knew the levy would start to break in the second half.

While Buffalo couldn’t finish drives and Josh Allen was off in the first half, they ran 44 plays in the first 30 minutes and the volume was going to catch up to this awful defense as the game went on,, when Minter gets utterly thrashed week after week as a head coach and play caller.

And Minter got destroyed in the second half again. He is worse than Zach Orr, folks. Allen produced 20 points in the second half, rolling up 219 yards on a ridiculous 7.5 yards/play before he made way for the back-up. Minter stinks at being a head coach and coordinator at the same time and better pick one, soon; it's too late to bring in help now he blew that window with Marvin Lewis and Wink Martindale offering assistance via "The Daily Flock."

"Maybe there's a trend," inside linebacker Roquan Smith offered about a defense that has stunk in the second half of games for the most part since 2020 (getting DeCosta-ed 17 times since 2019).

On the bright side, the Ravens got an interception – ever rare – from DT Broderick Washington of all people. Of course, they still don’t have a second-half INT from anyone all season and they do not have a pick from a corner or a safety on this entire roster. Free safety Malaki Starks is starting to look like DeCosta's latest first-round bust; the GM has a gift for overdrafting defensive backs with zero ball skills, doling out terrible contract extensions to his buddies (but not the most worthy candidates like Jackson) and carrying himself like a preening egomaniac.

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