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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Baltimore Ravens suffered their second straight defeat on Sunday, blowing a 13-0 halftime lead in a 35-13 loss to their division rival Bengals.
Baltimore dominated the first half, outgaining 258-59, but everything flipped after the break. Joe Burrow threw four touchdowns in the second half as Cincinnati rattled off 35 unanswered points to complete the comeback.
The loss dropped the Ravens to 4-3, which puts them in last place in the AFC North after the Browns, Steelers, and Bengals all won. More concerning, Baltimore has now lost two straight games, both of which were to division opponents and games without Lamar Jackson, who remains out with a high ankle sprain.
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With a matchup against the 5-1 Buffalo Bills coming on Sunday, the Ravens need to get their two-time MVP back this week, something ESPN's "Get Up" panel all agreed on Monday morning.
"I'm gonna go on a limb here: between them losing, between them playing in Buffalo, between him missing the previous three games. I would think he's going to play this week in Buffalo," said NFL insider Adam Schefter. "But with him, he ultimately is not going to play until he feels like he's fully ready to do that. I think it'll be this week, but let's see how the practice week goes."
"Their season's on the line. He's got to play," Dan Orlovsky responded. "You're going at Buffalo. You've lost two straight games. The conference is very top-heavy. If he doesn't play, your season's on life support."
"The feelings around his team have shifted, Domonique Foxworth added. "I remember the offseason. He was coming to the voluntary workouts, something he had never done before. We're like, he loves the new coach. Everything's going well. An injury changes everything, and missing these last few weeks, even the fans are like, 'What's going on with Lamar?' They all expect them to play, and everyone seems like in the organization is expecting him to play. For him to show up and not play. It just has everybody walking on pins and needles."
"The guy's one of the all-time great talents in the history of the NFL. But when you're thinking of Lamar Jackson, you think he seems to com up short in the bigger games and the availability. He's not available and that you can't count on that anymore," said Rex Ryan. "Remember, he missed a playoff game when everybody in the organization thought he was going to play."
"This is why I think he's going to come back and play this week because there's a lot of noise out there," Schefter added.
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Jackson injured his ankle in the Ravens' win over the Titans in Week 4. He left that game at halftime and has since missed the last three games, despite returning to limited practice this week. Baltimore ultimately ruled him out against Cincinnati after reviewing how he moved during practice.
The bigger concern, though, isn't just one ankle injury. Jackson missed four games last season with a hamstring injury, and the Ravens missed the playoffs. He also missed Baltimore's 2022 playoff game against Cincinnati because of a knee injury, a game which the Ravens lost 24-17. Jackson remains just 3-5 in the postseason himself.
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The Ravens are noticeably better with Jackson under center. They've gone 3-1 this season in the games he's played, and 1-2 without him, with their recent losses pushing Baltimore out of a playoff position.
That's what makes Sunday's trip to Buffalo so important. The Bills have lost just one game this season, a narrow 29-26 defeat against the Patriots in Week 4, and once again look like one of the best teams in the AFC. Jackson is expected to play, but Baltimore is in a position now where he needs to not only be on the field but also play well and win to quiet some of the criticism.
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