The Baltimore Ravens snapped a skid with a convincing 30–16 triumph over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, powered by the steady hand of reserve quarterback Tyler Huntley.
In his key start, Huntley connected on 17 of 22 attempts for 186 yards and a score through the air, while scrambling for 53 yards across eight totes on the ground.
All week, official team reports painted a picture of Lamar Jackson reclaiming the reins after sitting out the past pair of contests with a hamstring issue picked up in Week 4 against Kansas City. Friday’s injury update claimed the franchise signal-caller had turned in a complete practice, yet a Saturday revision disclosed that Jackson had actually been restricted to light scout-team duties and was ultimately held out of the lineup.
That discrepancy has put Baltimore under the NFL’s microscope; penalties could span monetary sanctions, forfeited draft capital, or even player suspensions should investigators deem the infraction egregious.
Come Monday, however, head coach John Harbaugh struck an upbeat tone regarding Jackson’s availability for the short-week clash against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night.
“I feel very confident about it,” Harbaugh said. “I expect him to be out there Thursday night.”
At 2–5, the Ravens have ground to make up, yet the AFC North’s collective stumbles keep them squarely in the divisional hunt.
The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped a Sunday-night decision to Green Bay, sliding to 4–3 atop the standings. Cincinnati, stung by a late meltdown versus the Jets, checks in at 3–5, with Baltimore now third and Cleveland lagging at 2–6.
Oddsmakers at DraftKings have flipped the script, installing the Ravens as the new frontrunner to capture the AFC North crown amid the division-wide turbulence.
