Lamar Jackson & Ravens May Relive Same Nightmare Twice as John Harbaugh Announces Injury Update

It’s the Ravens and Bills for the first Sunday Night Football of the season. After a 3-0 finish in the preseason games, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens look like an unstoppable force, right? Yes, they are one of the toughest sides, but maybe the week 1 clash might have come a little too soon. Remember last year’s playoffs?

Baltimore’s 2024 season ended in a 25-27 defeat against the Bills on January 19, 2025. The Bills then went to face the Chiefs in the AFC title game. Though Buffalo lost the championship title, it was hard to ignore that they found a way to contain Lamar in the previous week. And he was left scrambling.

In the first quarter itself, he threw a pick to Taylor Rapp. LJ finished the game with 18 passes completed in 25 attempts over 254 yards for 2 TDs and 1 INT. By the end, Jackson could only muster these words: “I’m tired of being right there.”

So, it’s understandable why CBS Sports’ John Breech predicted a 30-23 win for the Bills this time out. And that means he’s predicting Josh Allen to rub the salt on the wounds of Lamar. First, his Bills stopped his SB dreams. Then, Allen took away his chance to retain the MVP, and now, starting a new season like this.

“For his career, Jackson has averaged about 172 passing yards per game against Buffalo if you take out the one outlier back in September of 2018 where he only attempted four passes. Along with that, Jackson has averaged 46.5 rushing yards against Buffalo (including the postseason). Do the math, and Jackson typically puts up a mediocre performance against the Bills, on average,” Ryan Heckman wrote on NFL Spin Zone.

Lamar Jackson led the team in both yards per pass attempt (8.8) and yards per carry attempt (6.6) last year. But the Bills always seem to have their number. Every time Baltimore runs into Buffalo, Lamar doesn’t look like the same guy. “Over the past five years, Jackson has gone 1-3 against the Bills. In those four games, he’s turned the ball over a total of six times (four interceptions, two lost fumbles) while averaging just 179 yards passing per game (He’s also rushed for an average of 50 yards per game),” John Breech wrote. With all the predictions, the Ravens are speculated to endure a similar and frustrating defeat once again.

If they avoid their previous mistakes, especially the ball handling, they can bounce back. The Ravens had 3 fumbles and 3 drops against the Bills in January….and that’s after they had already 15 drops and 14 fumbles during the regular season. So, that’s an area they must work on before week 1. Because from the injury front, the HC bears some positive outlook as the ‘D-Day’ nears.

John Harbaugh updates on star player

The Baltimore Ravens CB Jaire Alexander has been out of play since early August due to surgery on his right knee. He’s been dealing with it through the preseason and camp. In July, doctors drained fluid from the same knee, the issue that slowed his performance with the Packers last year.

So is he going to be ready for week 1? John Harbaugh described Alexander as ‘pushing’ for the first week.  “That would be the key. So, we’ll see where he’s at Wednesday. He did some things today,” Harbaugh said, via the team’s website. He signalled that he’s been ramping up his physical activity. But his participation in the camp will be necessary for the training against the Bills

After all, he has impressed since his first training camp with the Ravens. The 28-year-old displayed outstanding coverage and ball skills, including a run-in with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. But those moments, followed by injury troubles, have been the case since his Green Bay days, where he featured in only 16 games in 2 seasons. And that’s why fans are worried about Jaire.

Maybe that’s why the Ravens’ front office only signed him to a one-year deal, worth $6 million contract. Sure, if he stays healthy, he could turn out to be one of those sneaky picks that ends up paying off huge. But for Jaire, it has to start against Buffalo. Pushing to get on the field, then pushing to make it a night to remember, could go a long way in helping Baltimore fend off its ghosts of the past.