The Cleveland Browns will have their hands full with the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field in Week 6, even if they’re facing their former quarterback Tyler Huntley. But circumstances get considerably more difficult if Lamar Jackson returns under center.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday, October 14, there is a reasonable likelihood of that happening.
“Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has a realistic chance to return for Sunday’s game at Cleveland, per league source,” Schefter posted to X.
Lamar Jackson Arguably NFL’s Most Efficient QB Thus Far
Jackson, a two-time NFL MVP, missed last week’s contest against the Atlanta Falcons with an ankle injury. Still, the Ravens were able to navigate their way to an overtime victory in Atlanta, which was playing some of the league’s best football over the previous two weeks.
Huntley, who has long served as Baltimore’s backup QB but has also had a couple of preseason stints in Cleveland where he flashed real talent, finished the day 24-of-32 passing for 201 yards and two scores. He added 16 rushing yards in the Ravens’ 30-23 win.
But while Huntley simply excelled in Week 5 under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, Jackson spent the first month shredding the league with elite efficiency numbers, particularly downfield.
Jackson leads the league in yards per pass attempt (10.1), yards per completion (14.2) and passer rating (119.6). He has completed nearly 71 percent of his passes, which will end up a career high by a significant margin if he maintains that level of accuracy throughout the season.
The QB has thrown for 967 yards and six TDs against just one INT. He has also rushed the football 19 times for 144 and a score after struggling in that department most of last season due to nagging lower-body injuries.
Baltimore enters Week 6 as the No. 5 rated offense in the league, averaging 394.2 yards per contest. Cleveland’s defense, meanwhile, is 20th in yardage surrendered at 334 yards allowed per game.
Browns’ Offense Broke Down Late Against Jets in Week 5
The Browns have not been an overpowering team this season in any facet, though they have been solid across most aspects of the game and played consistently in crunch time — save for last week against the New York Jets.
Cleveland’s offensive line surrendered eight sacks on the afternoon. The team as a whole committed six penalties that cost it 30 total yards.
The Browns also fumbled the football five times, losing two of them. One fumble came on special teams during a punt, while stats tabulators attributed another to center Elgton Jenkings. Quarterback Deshaun Watson was responsible for three of those fumbles, though his lack of pass protection certainly played a role.
Cleveland had a strong chance to defeat the Jets, win its fourth consecutive game, move to a record of 4-1 on the season and keep pace with the Ravens at the top of the AFC North Division.
However, that didn’t happen, and now the Browns must defeat one of the NFL’s best teams in Cleveland to keep from falling two games out of first in the division just six weeks into the campaign. And that goal, of course, will be harder for the Browns to achieve if Jackson is back under center and playing up to his healthy standard.
Browns Get Ominous QB Update Ahead of Ravens Showdown