Lamar Jackson Out as Ravens Face Bengals Without MVP

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Lamar Jackson’s Absence Looms Large Against Cincinnati

Lamar Jackson will be out for the Baltimore Ravens against the Cincinnati Bengals, a development that dramatically changed the spread and does not bode well for Baltimore. As last week’s game against Cleveland showed, the gap between Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley may be among the widest between a starting quarterback and a backup in the NFL.

After last week’s conversation with Doctor Chow, there was confidence that Jackson was moving in the right direction and might be available for this important divisional contest. Instead, he will now miss back-to-back division games, demonstrating the seriousness of his injury and the current state of the Ravens.

Baltimore should still show up ready to compete in another major divisional game. However, Huntley threw for only 165 yards last week as the Ravens fell to the Browns, and that level of production will not get the job done.

There may still be a path to the over. With the total being bet down so hard and fast, taking the opposite approach has some appeal. Whenever a result begins to look impossible, the NFL has a way of proving those expectations wrong.