Lamar Jackson Breaks Silence on Absence from Ravens Playoff Game Against Bengals
If Lamar Jackson departs from Baltimore this offseason, his last game with the Ravens will be one he didn't even attend. In January, Jackson's absence from the Ravens' playoff game against the Bengals in Cincinnati raised eyebrows throughout the NFL. Baltimore lost the game 24-17.
At that time, neither Jackson nor the Ravens provided an explanation for his absence from the sideline, causing confusion across the NFL.
While it was known that Jackson wouldn't play in the game due to a PCL injury in his knee, most assumed he would still travel to support his team, but that didn't happen. His absence from the playoff game surprised many and led fans to speculate that Jackson no longer wanted to play for the Ravens. Jackson has been revealing information on Twitter over the past month, including his secret trade request, and he also disclosed the reason for not traveling to Cincinnati.
Jackson explained that his injury worsened after traveling to Pittsburgh for Baltimore's Week 17 game against the Steelers. Consequently, it was decided that Jackson wouldn't travel again until his knee could handle it.
"After I traveled to the Pittsburgh game my PCL got inflated so a few of us discussed it and I got the ok to stay so I could try in recover faster," Jackson tweeted in response to a question about why he didn't attend the playoff game.
If Jackson stayed home to facilitate a quicker recovery, it would make sense. Since injuring his knee in December, he had been out, and by January, the Ravens believed he was week-to-week. Although he didn't play against the Bengals, he might have played the following week if the Ravens had won. Ravens coach John Harbaugh even expressed hope that Jackson could return for a potential divisional round game.
However, if Jackson doesn't return to Baltimore, the knee situation could be seen as the breaking point. The Ravens kept hinting at Jackson's return, but just before the playoff game, he clarified that he wasn't ready to come back yet. Three days before the game, Jackson took to Twitter and shared the full details of his injury, likely against the team's wishes.
"I want to give you all an update as I am in the recovery process," Jackson tweeted before the playoff game. "I've suffered a PCL grade 2 sprain on the borderline of a strain 3. There is still inflammation surrounding my knee and my knee remains unstable. I'm still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery. I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything but I can't give a 100% of myself to my guys and fans I'm still hopeful we still have a chance."
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5 AVRIL | 67 ANSWERS Lamar Jackson Breaks Silence on Absence from Ravens Playoff Game Against Bengals Will Lamar Jackson play another game with the Ravens? | ||
| Yes | 23 | 34.3 % |
| No | 44 | 65.7 % |
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