Lamar Jackson opened the season playing like the league’s best player, carrying an injured roster and willing the Baltimore Ravens through games they probably shouldn’t have won. Back then, the defense was the question mark in Baltimore. Now, after his own injury setbacks, the quarterback himself is pulling the offense down.

After losing the Thanksgiving game to the Cincinnati Bengals, Jackson opened up about whether the injuries are slowing him down.

“No, I need to be more consistent,” the quarterback said.

Even though he doesn’t like to play off his injuries as an excuse, the Ravens’ quarterback has been banged up quite a lot this year. Baltimore listed him as a non-participant on Monday with a toe issue. That makes three straight weeks with something bothering him. First, it was the knee, then the ankle, now the toe.

He played through it again… and it showed. Lamar threw for 246 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, and he never looked comfortable. He missed open throws, floated a few others, and accounted for three of the Ravens’ five turnovers. It didn’t resemble anything close to the guy we saw in September.

The offense as a whole wasn’t much better. After finally scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, the Ravens went six straight series without putting points on the board against Cincinnati’s poor defense. Everyone walked in expecting a 30-plus-point night from Jackson. Instead, the whole unit sputtered.

You don’t go from early-season MVP form to this overnight. The injuries have clearly taken something out of him, even if he refuses to use them as a shield. And to their credit, his teammates didn’t hesitate to defend him.

Ravens’ locker room clears feelings about their quarterback

It’s been a long season of struggles for pretty much every unit of the Baltimore Ravens. And right now, it’s Lamar Jackson who’s going through a tough time. Regardless, his teammates have full faith in their quarterback. Tight end Mark Andrews was the first to say it plainly.

“I got no complaints, man,” he said.

Safety Kyle Hamilton followed with a comparison that landed cleanly: Lamar having an off night, he said, is no different than LeBron having one.

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“Even LeBron has an off night,” he said.

Earlier in the year, Jackson was the one holding everything together while the injuries piled up. He didn’t point fingers then, and his teammates aren’t about to start now.

Besides, this isn’t only about his ankle, his knee, or his toe. Baltimore’s offensive line hasn’t exactly been giving him a soft place to land. Thursday night was more of the same. Three sacks, countless snaps where the pocket evaporated. That brings his sack count up to 27 this season. No quarterback, not even one as gifted as Jackson, can operate when he’s constantly running for daylight.

And these issues can’t linger much longer. Pittsburgh is coming up in Week 14, then a trip to Cincinnati right after. If the Ravens want to stay alive in the AFC North, those are basically must-win games. For that to happen, Jackson needs to settle in again, and the line in front of him has to give him a chance to breathe.