Ravens QB Jackson to IR After Thumb Surgery

Lamar Jackson will undergo surgery on his right thumb and be placed on injured reserve, according to Ravens head coach Jesse Minter. The announcement came after Baltimore lost 36-10 to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday. Jackson sustained the injury on the team's first offensive snap of the contest.

The injury effectively ended Jackson's return from a previous absence. He had missed the prior three and a half games before taking the field against Buffalo. After Buffalo opened the scoring with a 60-yard drive capped by a Josh Allen sneak, Jackson entered the game with Baltimore trailing 7-0. On the first play, Jackson dropped back to throw an incomplete pass and was struck by a defender. He checked his hand immediately and left the field, spending time in the locker room before the coaching staff ruled him out.

Minter described the situation as a difficult one for the offense. "You know, when you lose your quarterback early, we lost him on the first play. That'll be a surgery deal, he'll go to IR," Minter said. "That's a tough deal." When asked if Jackson could be sidelined for the rest of the season, Minter responded, "Potentially, but we'll see where it's at."

The loss was complicated further by injury to backup quarterback Tyler Huntley. Huntley entered the game after Jackson exited but suffered a right toe injury late in the first quarter. He was also ruled out, leaving undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano to make his NFL regular-season debut. Fagnano completed a 15-yard pass to rookie Josh Cuevas on his first snap of the game.

Baltimore's defense generated turnovers to keep the score relatively close. Broderick Washington Jr. intercepted a Josh Allen pass intended for Jackson Hawes for his first career pick. Two plays later, Derrick Henry ran for a 2-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 10-7. The Bills responded with a field goal after a Cole Bishop sack forced a fumble by Huntley that Kaleb Elarms-Orr recovered for Buffalo.

Before halftime, Roquan Smith punched out a pass from Allen to DJ Moore. T.J. Tampa, recently activated from injured reserve, recovered the fumble. Baltimore failed to convert the chance, as a Fagnano pass to Zay Flowers was tipped and intercepted by Davidson Igbinosun. Buffalo kicked a field goal to lead 16-7 at the break.

The second half saw Buffalo pull away. After Baltimore kicked a short field goal, Allen threw a 49-yard pass to Moore, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run by James Cook. The Bills added an 11-yard touchdown from Allen to Moore early in the fourth quarter and another score late in the game. The final margin stood at 36-10.

The result dropped Baltimore to 4-4 and marked its third consecutive loss. The Ravens now sit in last place in their division near the midway point of the season. The team faces a short week before hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.

Minter praised Fagnano for handling limited preparation. "I thought Joe came in, to his credit, not really getting a lot of reps in preparation, hung in there, did some good stuff," Minter said. "It's a short week. It's an opportunity again to stick together, work together, come together, and we'll figure out what we have, what we have available, and we'll try to put the best plan out there for this short week."