IAN RAPOPORT REPORTS LAMAR JACKSON’S EXPECTED RETURN AGAINST BILLS

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Tuesday that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to play against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Week 8 game would be Jackson’s first appearance since 4 October. He has missed three games with a high ankle sprain. Ravens coach Jesse Minter expressed optimism on Monday about Jackson’s availability for Sunday’s game.

Jackson took part in all three Ravens practices before last Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, with the team limiting his work each time. Baltimore initially listed him as questionable, then declared him inactive. The Bengals beat the Ravens 35-13. Minter declined to confirm a pregame account that Jackson had woken on Saturday with increased swelling in his injured left ankle. Baltimore have won once and lost twice during Jackson’s absence.

Figures cited for those three games put the Ravens’ averages at 17.7 points and 328.3 yards per game. Minter described Jackson as a two-time MVP and a “high-calibre player”. He also said Baltimore could perform better when Jackson was unavailable. “I just don’t like the built-in excuse of why things are going a certain way,” Minter said. Jackson’s participation in Sunday’s game remains an expectation reported by Rapoport, rather than a confirmed team decision.