The Bears prepared all week to face Lamar Jackson on Sunday. Now they won’t.
The Ravens quarterback was ruled out by the team Saturday afternoon, leaving Tyler Huntley to start against the Bears.
Jackson was a full participant in practice Friday but was ruled questionable with a hamstring injury that cost him the previous two games. In a wildly unsual move, the Ravens said Saturday that he should have been called a limited participant Friday. Then they ruled him out.
The Ravens could be subject to league penalty for reporting his injury status.
Thus ends a bizarre week in the handling of the two-time MVP’s health. The Ravens believed Jackson would be ready following last week’s bye and expressed confidence he’d be able to play even though he didn’t practice Monday. He was limited Wednesday and Thursday and did not do interviews this week, as required by league policy. Saturday morning, NFL Network reported that Jackson ran the scout team on Friday.
Jackson could return Thursday against the Dolphins.
Jackson’s absence is a tremendous stroke of luck for a Bears team that will fly to Cincinnati next week to face a Bengals squad without star quarterback Joe Burrow. But it doesn’t make Sunday’s game a walkover. The Ravens remained favored against the Bears and, at 1-5, are desperate for a win to stop their slide out of playoff relevance. Former Bears linebacker Roquan Smith has returned to health and will return to the lineup.
The Ravens’ urgency for a win is in part why the Bears prioritized preparing for Jackson over his backup, Huntley. He did not start in either of Jackson’s two absences but replaced Cooper Rush in their last game. Friday, coach John Harbaugh said Huntley, not Rush, was their choice if Jackson couldn’t play.
Huntley’s scrambling style is more like Jackson than Rush.
“(If) Lamar goes, we know what type of offense they can be,” Bears safety Kevin Byard said earlier this week. “(With) ‘Snoop’ Huntley, they are very similar. So I’m pretty sure the game plan will be very similiar.”
Huntley beat the Bears in 2021 when Jackson was ill. Jackson has never faced the Bears.
For Bears fans, the Ravens’ injury report issue is reminiscent of 2018. The Dolphins were fined $30,000 and head coach Adam Gase $15,000 for saying quarterback Ryan Tannehill was a full practice participant leading up to the Bears game, only to sit him with a shoulder injury. The Dolphins won the game with backup Brock Osweiler.