One month. That’s how long Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
Missing the last three games, Jackson is set to return in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, and you can bet he’s ready to go.
Jackson stated that he “can’t wait to touch the grass” when asked about how excited he is to return, but there is the other side of the coin for an injured player, and that is the tough times that come with sitting on the sidelines and watching your teammates do their thing.
“It was very challenging,” Jackson said. “When I found out I had a hammy injury and when I was told by the training staff how long I was going to be out, we got to do whatever we can, fast as we could, to get back out there, and it’s here. Took a little time, but we here.”
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No ease-in period for Lamar
There will be no grace period for Jackson, given the 2-5 record the Ravens have, so on Thursday night, despite it being his first game in a month, the expectation is going to be to win by any means necessary.
The defense has shown improvement over the past fortnight, while the offense, without Lamar, appeared to get some of its mojo back against the Chicago Bears, so naturally, the thought is that when you insert Jackson into the offense, fireworks will fly.
No doubt, there will be some rust for Lamar to work through early on, but that can’t last for long, because the Dolphins are back in form after a 34-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons, so this will be anything but a straightforward game.
But Lamar is back, and that’s something.
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