The Baltimore Ravens might be in trouble.
If Lamar Jackson can't play in Week 5 against the Houston Texans, it's a huge problem.
So far this week, Jackson hasn't practiced at all on either Wednesday or Thursday. He's still dealing with the hamstring injury that kept him out for most of Sunday's second half against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cooper Rush is Jackson's backup, and he's a competent if unexciting replacement.
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But in general, the Ravens just aren't very good without Jackson.
According to ESPN Insights, the Ravens' chances of winning the game against Houston drop from 67% with Jackson to 52% without him.
ESPN Insights also shared this stat: "Since 2018, Baltimore is 4-10 and averaging just 16.6 PPG in games Lamar has missed."
The Ravens really do revolve around Jackson, so anytime he's not there, it's kind of a different show for everyone involved.
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Rush is certainly no Jackson, particularly in his ability (or lack thereof) to move around. Rush isn't a statue, but it's hard to run an offense tailored around Jackson's strengths as someone who simply isn't Lamar.
The Texans certainly wouldn't mind the chance to go against Rush and not Jackson, although surely they've been preparing for both this week.
Baltimore will probably hold out hope of Jackson getting onto the practice field and eventually playing, but it seems quite unlikely, and that's not ideal.
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