Baltimore Ravens fans have been waiting to hear if franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson will take the field when the team goes up against the Texans on Sunday, and now, they have an answer.
On Friday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Jackson, who suffered a hamstring injury in last week’s crushing 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, not play Jackson on Sunday.
“Now official: Ravens have ruled out QB Lamar Jackson, who strained his hamstring during Sunday’s loss at Kansas City and didn’t practice this week,” Schefter stated on X. “Ravens host the Rams next Sunday, before their bye week, so Jackson could get two weeks of recovery for missing one more game.”
Considering the Ravens offense runs through Jackson, who’s considered one of the top signal-callers in the NFL, his absence is a tough blow to a team looking to keep its playoff hopes alive (Baltimore is 1-3).
But the good news is that they have quarterback Cooper Rush ready to go. Last season, Rush filled in for an injured Dak Prescott with the Dallas Cowboys (he had a 4-4 record), so he knows what it’s like to take over for an injured star quarterback. In his eight-year NFL career, Rush is 9-5 as a starter with 3,515 yards passing, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Ravens are having a little bit of fun with Rush’s impending start, saying that it’s going to be “Rush Hour” in Baltimore. Speaking with reporters on Friday, Rush talked about the potential start for him, sounding optimistic and excited.
“Whenever a franchise QB goes down, it’s always a ‘sky-is-falling’ feeling everywhere you are. It’s normal,” Rush said. “We’ve been here before in this type of situation. It’s nothing new, so you lean on that. You get confidence from it, just trust yourself, and if you have to go out there, you can do it.”
It’s easy to tell from Rush’s tone that he’s confident and knows how to handle this kind of pressure.
He also opened up about taking first-team reps in practice this week and said they were “crisp.” He also stated that he feels confident in the Ravens’ game plan.
“This is what you work for, what you prepare for,” Rush said. “Getting the whole week to actually go out and practice it, too, it’s a lot better than just coming in with no practice reps in the middle of a game, so I’ve enjoyed that.”
Rush also seems to have the respect and confidence of head coach John Harbaugh.
“The Cooper game, that’s what he does. And I think he’s really good at it,” Harbaugh said. “He has to play his style, the way he plays, within the offense. He knows the offense, and we’re ready to go.”
Ravens fans will now get a front-row seat to see what Rush can deliver for them.
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