KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson left with a right hamstring strain late in the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, adding to a wave of injuries that have decimated Baltimore on both sides of the ball.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley left Baltimore’s 37-20 loss with an ankle injury, cornerback Marlon Humphrey departed with a calf injury, linebacker Roquan Smith was ruled out with a hamstring injury and cornerback Nate Wiggins left with what appeared to be an elbow injury.
By the end of the game, Baltimore (1-3) was missing seven of its starters on defense alone.
“I mean, those are the challenges that you face from time to time. It’s tough,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh, adding that Jackson would be evaluated further on Monday. “It’s tough in a game like this against a really good team on the road, but you’ve got to try to find a way to win.”
Jackson hurt his hamstring on the Ravens’ first drive of the second half. He was sacked by Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis on third-and-2 at the Kansas City 12, forcing the Ravens to settle for a field goal that made it 27-13 with 7:22 to go.
Cooper Rush took over on the next series for Baltimore. He threw incomplete on fourth down to end that drive.
Jackson finished 14 of 20 for 147 yards with a touchdown and his first interception of the season. He also ran six times for 48 yards, but most of those were while under duress. The Chiefs sacked him twice and hit him several more times.
“Praying for those guys,” Ravens running back Justice Hill said. “Hopefully they return quickly.”
The Ravens had placed defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike on injured reserve with a neck problem and defensive end on IR with an ankle injury on Saturday. Ninety minutes before kickoff, defensive tackle Travis Jones was declared inactive with a knee injury, and linebacker Kyle Van Noy was inactive with a hamstring injury.
Throw in the injuries to Humphrey, Smith and Wiggins, and Baltimore was missing seven defensive starters.
Harbaugh acknowledged this week that he was “concerned” about Madubuike’s injury, but he’d not been given the clearance to discuss it. Madubuike has made consecutive Pro Bowls while starting every game the past two seasons.
Washington had made four tackles and started once earlier this season.
“Obviously you’re losing multiple All-Pro guys. Not gonna help the defense,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “But again, I think guys came in, had the right mindset. If you’re out there, you’re supposed to be out there, and you’re in the NFL for a reason. Anybody who’s out there can make a play, could do their job, to the best of their abilities. You just play hard, man. I think that’s the price of entry, just playing hard. We’ll deal with the result later.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
