Ravens HC ‘confident’ Lamar Jackson will return for Week 9

This time, it’s (probably) for real.

Days after the Baltimore Ravens found themselves in hot water for incorrectly reporting quarterback Lamar Jackson’s practice participation, head coach John Harbaugh said he’s ‘confident’ Jackson will return this week.

‘We’re expecting him to be out there Thursday night,’ Harbaugh said on Oct. 27.

The Ravens are set for a clash with the Miami Dolphins in the Week 9 edition of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Oct. 30.

Jackson was listed as a full participant in practice on the Ravens’ Oct. 27 injury report. Though that may seem like a strong indication he’ll play against the Dolphins, there could be setbacks later in the week. In addition, Baltimore’s Week 8 snafu means a full participation in practice does not necessarily guarantee a return.

Two days before the Ravens’ Oct. 26 clash with the Chicago Bears in a Week 8 matchup, Baltimore had declared that Jackson was a full participant in an Oct. 24 practice. On Oct. 25, the Ravens released a statement that Jackson was being downgraded from a full participant to a limited participant for the Oct. 24 practice and ruled out for the Oct. 26 game.

‘Lamar Jackson was present for and participated fully in our entire Friday practice ahead of Sunday’s game against the Bears,’ the statement read. ‘Upon further evaluation and after conferring with the league office, because Lamar didn’t take starter reps in practice, we updated our report to reflect his practice participation.’

USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell received a confirmation from the NFL that the league planned to review the Ravens’ potential violation of its policy on injury reports.

Here’s what to know about Jackson’s status for Week 9:

Lamar Jackson injury update

Jackson is expected to be good to go for the Oct. 30 ‘Thursday Night Football’ game against the Dolphins.

Harbaugh told reporters on Oct. 27 that he felt ‘very confident’ about Jackson’s health.

‘We’re expecting him to be out there Thursday night,’ Harbaugh said.

The Ravens’ two-time MVP starting quarterback has missed three straight games while dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 4. Baltimore is 2-5 this season – 1-2 in the three games without Jackson – and sits in third place in the AFC North.

Lamar Jackson stats

Jackson has started just four games for the Ravens through eight weeks of the season. Here’s how his stats look through those four starts:

• Record: 1-3
• Completion rate: 68-of-95 (71.6%)
• Passing yards: 869
• Touchdowns: 10
• Interceptions: 1
• Rush attempts: 21
• Rushing yards: 166
• Yards per rush: 7.9
• Rushing touchdowns: 1

Jackson’s 71.6% completion rate and 7.9 yards per rush would both be career-high marks.