Lamar Jackson leaves door open for Week 7 return against Bengals

Lamar Jackson is nearing a return, but he’s still unsure if he’ll be back this weekend. The star Ravens quarterback, who has missed the last two games with a high ankle sprain, said he’s “heading in the right direction,” although he “can’t call it right now” if he’ll be on the field when Baltimore takes on the division rival Bengals on Sunday.“If I can just go out there and feel the pain a little bit, I can play,” Jackson told reporters Friday.“But if I’m restricted and I can’t do what I do, I’m not helping nobody.

If I can just go out there and just be a statue and get hit, that’s not helping my team at all.”Jackson suffered the injury on Oct.4 on a 29-yard scramble against the Titans, which was later negated by a holding call, when he was hit below the knee and his ankle became trapped beneath a defender. He later posted an angry emoji alongside a clip of the play on X and left the stadium in a protective boot.“It was very, very, very, very, very painful,” Jackson said.Ravens head coach Jesse Minter also indicated that Jackson is getting close. “One thing I’ll say about Lamar is that he’s super competitive and he wants to play,” Minter said.

“It’s going to be a decision based on how he feels and how effective he feels like he can be and how we feel like it looks.”Backup Tyler Huntley has started each of the last two games for the Ravens, going 1-1. Baltimore’s offense has struggled without Jackson on the field, scoring just 40 points in the two and a half games with Huntley behind center. The Ravens (4-2) are looking to bounce back after falling to the Browns last week....