Jackson tests positive as rescheduled Pittsburgh game is now in doubt.
The sights, smells, and sounds of Thanksgiving are what make it one of the most treasured holidays of the year, a veritable feast for the senses. The appearance of a well-cooked meal on the table, the distinct, pungent aromas of each tasty morsel, and the laughter of seldom-seen family members catching up with each other are what make everlasting memories.
But for the 2020 NFL season in general, and the Baltimore Ravens in particular, this has rapidly turned into a messy kitchen sink filled with smelly, dirty dishes that everyone avoids washing as the tryptophan lulls them to sleep.
The most serious COVID-19 outbreak among any of the NFL’s 32 teams has placed the Ravens’ already-rescheduled game in Pittsburgh on Sunday in serious doubt of being played at all. Player availability for the immediate future is also in question, with the biggest name on the ever-growing list being quarterback and reigning league Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, who reportedly contracted the virus from already-infected teammates during last Sunday’s home loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Should the Ravens be able to play through Jackson’s quarantine period, they would have just two quarterbacks available. The first is top backup Robert Griffin III, who started and won last year’s regular-season finale at home against Pittsburgh. Also in the system is the practice-squad quarterback and rookie undrafted free agent Tyler Huntley (Utah).
With the usually recommended quarantine period for such cases being ten days, that would also put all the affected players’ status–as well as the team’s–in doubt for the short-turnaround subsequent home game against the Dallas Cowboys, which is scheduled for Thursday night, December 3.
How did the Ravens, whose 5-1 start has now devolved to 6-4, reach such a sorry state?
One can point to the obvious on-field causes: an inconsistent, injury-riddled offense, an inability to hold leads or to come from behind, a defense that occasionally can’t stop an opponent’s bell-cow running back, and an overall lack of cohesion due to the many moving parts in and out of the roster and, subsequently, the lineup. But perhaps the biggest cause is the one that has roiled every aspect of society in this most troublesome of calendar years: the devastating COVID pandemic.
Speculation and subsequently published reports have centered around strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders, now in his fifth year. Saunders brought a new offseason running program that earned praise from the team’s most hardened veterans, including franchise all-time sack leader Terrell Suggs. According to reports, Saunders worked with many players within the team facility without a mask and, while he was sick himself, too. He has been levied with a team-imposed suspension.
What also didn’t help was likely the November 22 home game against the Titans, a team that suffered a severe outbreak earlier this season, to the point where they not only had to go two weeks between games but also had a meeting with Pittsburgh affected. It was the league’s most severe single-team outbreak until this week’s Ravens news.
The Steelers-Titans game was moved by one week, which forced Baltimore to take its bye seven days earlier than scheduled and Pittsburgh to lose its scheduled bye week entirely.
This week provided the real coup de grace for Baltimore’s season. Over a devastating three-day period–during which time the team did not do any on-field practicing–several Ravens staff members and a whopping ten players were found to have tested positive for the virus or came into close contact with someone carrying it.
On Tuesday, the Ravens made several additions to the league’s COVID-19 reserve list, including defensive tackle Brandon Williams (close-contact), and four other players who tested positive–running backs Mark Ingram and JK Dobbins, linebacker Pernell McPhee, and third-string quarterback Trace McSorley. Three more players were added to the list Wednesday–defensive end Calais Campbell, who has already missed time with a calf strain, backup center Matt Skura, and his successor, Mekari.
Williams was already out due to a knee injury, and his and Campbell’s absences left a tiring Ravens defense vulnerable last week to Tennessee workhorse ball carrier Derrick Henry. The Heisman Trophy-winning back ran for 96 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime, including a game-winning 29-yard touchdown run, to pace the Titans’ overtime win in Baltimore.
Even after the scheduled game against the Steelers was moved to Sunday, Thanksgiving provided no holiday respite, as Jackson headed a new list of four added individuals. Included with Jackson was backup defensive end Jihad Ward and–as of Thursday night–two unnamed individuals. And that doesn’t even consider cornerback Iman Marshall, who was already on injured reserve before being added to the COVID list this week.
Earlier this month, an additional nine Ravens defensive players, including Williams, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, rookie inside linebacker Patrick Queen, and others, spent time on the COVID-19 reserve list. Reportedly, Seattle is the only team in the NFL to have not been affected by the virus at all this season.
As a result of injuries and the virus, only five defensive players have started every game for Baltimore. The group includes Queen and fellow linebacker Matthew Judon, cornerback Marcus Peters, and safeties Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott.
As far as the offense goes, only guard Bradley Bozeman, tackle Orlando Brown, Jr., and Jackson have made every start. Of course, Jackson’s availability is now highly doubtful. The virus, injuries, and inconsistent play have put the Ravens into a hole out of which it will be nearly impossible to climb.
