Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson exited Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs in the third quarter with a hamstring strain.
While Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he had a handle on the team’s extensive list of injuries, he didn’t want to delve into them until Wednesday.
But there had been some social media speculation that Jackson could have gone back into the game if he needed to. When asked about that in his Monday news conference, Harbaugh strongly denied it was the case.
“There was no way he was going to go back in the game. The injury precluded it,” Harbaugh said. “During the game, you’re really just playing the next series as a coach. But there was no way he could go back in the game. I know Lamar — if he could’ve gone back in the game, he would’ve been in the game. That’s how he is.
“But I can assure you he would not have been able to go back in the game under any circumstances.”
Cooper Rush came in and played the rest of the game at quarterback, completing 9-of-13 throws for 52 yards. While Harbaugh did not mention Jackson’s availability for the Week 5 matchup against Houston, if Rush has to play, Harbaugh said the team would be confident in him.
“The guys around him, you’ve got a good group around him — a lot of playmakers around him if he’s playing. And same thing for Tyler Huntley if he’s playing,” Harbaugh said. “You’ve got guys around him, too. You go as a team, and you go compete, and battle, and get after it, and find ways to win games. We can win — we have a really good team, we can win games with our guys. The guys that we have, they have to step up.
“Everybody gets injuries in the course of the season. It’s who deals with them best. So, any of our players not in, the next guy steps up and we plan to go win the football game. And that’s it.”
Jackson ended Sunday’s game 14-of-20 passing for 147 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also had 48 yards rushing on six carries.
