The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens went down to the wire in last year’s divisional-round playoff game, and they’ll get an immediate rematch in 2025.
The teams are set to meet on Sunday night of opening weekend, a chance for the last two league MVPs — Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson — to meet again. But the Ravens could have been in danger of losing their star quarterback, with a statement from head coach John Harbaugh raising some concerns this week.
Lamar Jackson May Have Avoided Devastating Injury
Jackson was hurt at practice on Wednesday when a teammate stepped on his foot. The Ravens quarterback underwent X-rays, but Harbaugh downplayed the severity when talking to reporters on Thursday.
“He’s fine,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN. “He’s going to be good.”
Jackson was held out of practice on Thursday, but Harbaugh stressed that it’s nothing too serious and that the quarterback was just “sore.”
“I told the guys, ‘Prayers do get answered,’” Harbaugh added. “I was praying.”
ESPN insider Adam Schefter believes that while Harbaugh tried to keep it cool, the team was actually very worried that Jackson may have suffered a serious injury.
âIt sounds like it was a little bit scarier than the Ravens let on,” Schefter said on ESPN’s NFL Live. “If it was anything that was nothing, (John Harbaugh) wouldn’t have to pray that Lamar Jackson’s X-rays would’ve turned out the way that it did.”
The Bills face an early challenge against the Ravens, the team they beat last year to advance to the AFC Championship.
Bills Taking No Chances With Their Star Quarterback
The Bills are leaving no chances for Allen to suffer an injury ahead of their season opener against the Ravens. The team held him out of the first two preseason games, then announced on Thursday that he would remain on the sidelines for the third and final game.
“I also have a responsibility as well to protect him and in doing so, protect our team. I think he’s on schedule, and he’s looked good,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters.
The decision is a break from past years, when Allen played at least part of one or two of the preseason games. This will be the first time he hasn’t taken a single preseason snap since 2020, when the NFL canceled all preseason games due to the strict pandemic restrictions at the time.
McDermott said the team was comfortable with what they saw from Allen during training camp and joint practices with the Chicago Bears.
“That’s my job is to adjust as need be. You’ve got the reigning MVP, and I feel like he’s shown to this point that he’s in a good spot, he said.
Allen told reporters that he has gone through additional conditioning and will be putting in the necessary work to be ready for Week 1 against the Ravens.
“Just making sure that I’m as in control that is possible, and making sure I’m getting extra reps conditioning,” Allen said.
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