The Baltimore Ravens will be without their star quarterback this week, as Lamar Jackson has officially been ruled out for the Week 5 matchup against the Falcons.
Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley will make his first start of the season in Jackson’s place.
“We have a ton of confidence in [Huntley] to play really well,” head coach Jesse Minter said of Huntley’s start on Sunday. “I think everyone on the team is excited to see that.”
Jackson has been battling an ankle injury following the Week 4 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Although he didn’t suffer a long-term injury, his status against the Falcons was up for debate and not guaranteed.
The Ravens offense has already been dealing with a few injuries, specifically with wide receivers Ja’Kobi Lane and Zay Flowers in Week 1; Flowers returned from his hamstring injury, while Lane remains on injured reserve with a fractured wrist.
Baltimore and Huntley will face a talented Falcons team following their dominant 45-24 win over the New Orleans Saints. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. finished the night with 15 completions on 20 attempts for 223 yards and a touchdown. Running back Bijan Robinson ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
In his 12 starts across his six seasons in a Ravens jersey, Huntley has compiled a 5-6 record. Huntley last started for Baltimore on Jan. 4, when he led the Ravens to a 41-24 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Minter enters the Sunday night matchup with a 3-1 record as head coach. In his first game without Jackson, Minter will need to lead the offense past the Falcons’ defense to secure a 4-1 start to the season.
Coincidentally, the last time the Ravens faced the Falcons in a regular-season game was in 2022, when Huntley started for Baltimore and led the team to a 17-9 win. Now, Huntley will face the Falcons again, but this time on the road in Atlanta at 5:15 p.m. ET on Sunday.
