The 2025 season has been rough on the Baltimore Ravens. It has been worse for their sensational quarterback, Lamar Jackson, who was plagued by injuries this season. And if their season ending with a loss to the New England Patriots wasn’t enough, Jackson’s injury in that matchup has only made things worse. Now, former NFL expert, Dr. David Chao, has added more grim updates for the Ravens.

“It is hard to play through a low-back flank issue injury in terms of throwing the ball. But looking at what’s happened in previous Decembers, I’d have to lean towards it’s not Lamar Jackson this Saturday,” said Dr. David Chao on Ross Tucker Podcast yesterday.

The back contusion occurred ahead of the two-minute warning before halftime against the Patriots. On a 1st & 10, Jackson made a run from New England’s 23 under pressure for three yards. However, after one more play, the Ravens took a timeout as the broadcast showed Jackson getting medical attention from the doctors, writhing in pain.

Apparently, in the second-to-last run, he went down quickly and twisted his back when Patriots’ safety Craig Woodson’s knee hit his back and left side. After the medical checkup, he did not return to the game. Backup QB Tyler Huntley continued for the Ravens under the center in the 28-24 home loss.

While the only injury update from the team is that Jackson hasn’t participated in the team’s practices this week, Chao has claimed he won’t be playing in Week 17.

Already, the 2025 season hasn’t been the healthiest for Jackson. He has missed three games this season due to his hamstring injury against the Chiefs in Week 4. Then, he suffered a knee injury in practice in early November, causing him to miss several practices. Then it was his toe injury against the New York Jets.

Unfortunately for Jackson, he was the QB who had changed the Ravens’ luck since he was drafted in 2018. The team was struggling to find a successful season, but with the Louisville alum, they have been to the playoffs six of the eight years. He wasn’t even a starter in his rookie year until Week 10 in 2018 and won six of his seven starts.

He currently has 22,370 passing yards, 6513 rushing yards, and 219 total touchdowns. However, this is not the only season in which he has ended his season with an injury.

In December 2021, an ankle injury sidelined him for five games. Then, in 2022, a PCL injury to his knee caused him to miss six games, including a crucial playoff game. Now, after two great seasons, Jackson again fell into the grasp of injuries. To make matters worse, there seems to be drama brewing behind the scenes in Baltimore.

Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh could part with the Ravens after the 2025 season

John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson, as a duo, have had their successes, but never gotten their hands on the Lombardi Trophy. With Jackson suffering from a horde of injuries and the Ravens’ playoff chances hanging by a thread, there is speculation that this might be their last season with the team.

“I’m gonna say No, and the reason is they are at an inflection point with Lamar Jackson’s contract,” said Dan Graziano on GetUp ESPN, via X. “There’s two years left, no guaranteed money, and if they do nothing, the cap hit is almost $75 million. So they have to address it in some way. Most teams would do it in an extension, and the Ravens very may. No one is going to fault them for doing it. This is the best player in the league. But he hasn’t had success with him.

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“If he misses his game on Saturday, that’s not the first game he’s missed due to injury; it’s not the first year where he’s missed a lot of games due to injury. He’s great, but if we pay him 60+ million dollars a year, are we going to build a Super Bowl team? They had built elite teams around him that couldn’t get over the hump and get to the Super Bowl.”

Two years ago, Jackson signed a 5 year, $260,000,000 contract with the Ravens. This season, he is bound to earn a base salary of $20,250,000 and a signing bonus of $22,500,000, while carrying a cap hit of $43,500,000 and a dead cap value of $129,250,000, making it a tough decision for the Baltimore front office.

If he does get traded, though, the best destination for him turns out to be the Miami Dolphins. The team is already at a crossroads with their current QB, Tua Tagovailoa. If the Dolphins release Tagovailoa next offseason, they’ll have to take on $99.2 million in dead cap. It’s tough to see them landing Jackson when he’s got a $74.5 million cap hit for the 2026 season.

Nonetheless, he remains a Ravens player as they gear up for the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. The QB opted out of spending time with his family on Thanksgiving. But he may recover the lost family time during this Christmas.

Moreover, head coach Harbaugh might be leaving the city soon, too.

2025 has been a colossal bust at best for the Ravens. However, when asked about it Monday, he had a simple response:

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh addressed questions about his job security on Monday by saying he’s thinking about Saturday’s game at the Green Bay Packers and not his future.

“I try to do the job, not try to keep the job,” Harbaugh said regarding his job security.

Harbaugh, 63, is enduring one of the most challenging seasons in his 18 years as the Ravens’ head coach. They entered the season as the betting Super Bowl favorites. However, they can be eliminated from playoff contention this weekend if they lose to the Packers.

At the moment, everything remains hazy, starting with his recovery. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming weeks will shape up, especially if the Ravens get over the Packers and the Steelers and make it to the playoffs.