The Baltimore Ravens have been threatening to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the last several seasons. The 2025 NFL season could be their best chance yet to do just that.
However, they're dealing with a major injury concern as Week 1 approaches. Star quarterback Lamar Jackson reportedly had his foot stepped on during practice on Wednesday and was forced to exit, and he hasn't practiced since.
It may not be a foregone conclusion that he will be under center when the Ravens start their regular season at the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 7. ESPN insider Adam Schefter sounded the alarm on the possible severity of Jackson's injury during an appearance on NFL Live.
'If it was anything that was nothing, (John Harbaugh) wouldn't have to pray that Lamar Jackson's X-rays would've turned the way they did. He didn't practice today, second straight day,' Schefter said on NFL Live.
Jackson reacted to Schefter's assessment of his ailment with a simple but powerful emoji on social media. The laughing emoji was proof enough of what the Ravens quarterback thought of Schefter saying he was potentially heavily injured.
Jackson is undoubtedly one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks, and he's coming off a career-best effort last season. He threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns and led everyone with a 119.6 passer rating and an average of 8.8 yards gained per pass attempt -- all of which were career highs. He also added 915 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
He was the runner-up to Buffalo Bills signal-caller Josh Allen in the MVP balloting, and some may still feel that he and not Allen should've gotten the award based on his big numbers.
Baltimore has always been a bit short on viable wide receiver threats, but this year, they have veteran DeAndre Hopkins on their side. Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowler, has gone over the 1,000-yard mark seven times and the 1,200-yard mark five times in his 12-year career, and he's hungry for a Super Bowl championship.
Last year, he lost in the big game as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs to the Philadelphia Eagles by a wide margin.
In addition, Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are continuing to develop into legitimate threats themselves, and the team has two solid tight ends in Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.
If the Chiefs falter, as plenty seem to think they will, the door could be open for Jackson and the Ravens to win the world championship - if they're relatively healthy.
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