The Baltimore Ravens are 1-3, but that's not the worst part.
Lamar Jackson is hurting, and his injury doesn't appear to be getting better right away.
On Thursday, the Ravens held Jackson out of practice for a second consecutive game with his hamstring problem that he sustained in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Given Jackson's running ability, it's seeming increasingly unlikely that his hamstring will be good enough to go for Week 5 against the Houston Texans.
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If Jackson is out, Cooper Rush will start. The former Dallas Cowboys backup QB came to Baltimore this offseason to work behind Jackson, and he played in relief of Lamar in the blowout loss to Kansas City.
The Ravens are in a tough spot, because it doesn't help them much to rush Jackson back and have him hurt, but it also might not be helpful to lose another game or two before he's back, because that could entirely tank the season.
Baltimore will have to hope its other pieces can pick up the slack without Jackson. On Sunday, the Texans' defense does pose a formidable opponent with a solid pass rush and secondary combination.
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Rush can win a game in a pinch, but he's also so far from being the game changer that Jackson is. Everything Baltimore will do will be quite a bit different than when Jackson is at the helm.
The Ravens will be waiting patiently for Jackson's return. He surely wants to be back on the field to unleash his competitiveness once again.
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