Week 5 is here, and the injury bug is already shaking up the NFL. Big names like the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, 49ers’ Brock Purdy, and Raiders’ tight end Brock Bowers are all dealing with health setbacks that could shift entire seasons. Let’s start with Jackson.
In Week 4, Jackson limped out of the Ravens’ loss to the Chiefs with a hamstring issue. Now the outlook is grim. Senior NFL Insider Josina Anderson reported, “#Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring) is not currently expected to play this Sunday vs the #Texans, nor next week vs the #Rams (outside of faster healing, which still can be deceptive). The bye week is after that.” Anderson added that’s the safer move, keeping him fresh for when games matter more down the stretch. And the Ravens don’t exactly have time to burn.
Sitting at 1-3, they’re staring down the Texans and Rams before a Week 7 bye. NFL insider Tom Pelissero even suggested Baltimore could rest Lamar Jackson until after the break, giving him nearly a month to heal up. But here’s the catch: behind him, the depth is shaky. Cooper Rush had to close out the Chiefs game, and Tyler Huntley is still only on the practice squad.
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Neither comes close to Jackson’s spark, yet they may need to hold the fort.
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49ers injury update
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the 49er are dealing with their own health rollercoaster. The Faithful are short-handed for Thursday night’s battle against the Rams, though reinforcements may be on the way. George Kittle was sidelined with a hamstring in Week 1. Thursday makes it four straight missed games. Still, hope is real.
Kittle landed on injured reserve, forcing him to sit out a minimum of four weeks. But according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there’s good news: no setbacks, and a “real chance” he suits up against Tampa Bay next week. However, Rapoport also shared that Jauan Jennings, battling ankle and rib issues, has a shot to return next week. Ricky Pearsall, dealing with a PCL sprain, could also be back soon. But not all news is encouraging.
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Rapoport added, “Brandon Ayoub, one of their star receivers, has not played yet this season, coming off major surgery. I’m told he is still weeks away.” Then there’s the quarterback situation.
Brock Purdy was active for Week 4, which made his latest setback sting even more. As Rapoport put it, “Purdy is week to week and likely to miss more games.” He’s battling a toe injury that sidelined him in Weeks 2 and 3. So the hope is that rest now saves him later, but “week to week” in the NFL can feel like forever.
Raiders Injury report
The Silver and Black dropped their Thursday injury report ahead of Week 5’s matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Raider Nation has seen this story before. It’s early, but injuries are already stacking up for a team that cannot afford to lose key pieces.
One name that jumps out is Brock Bowers. The 2nd-year tight end hasn’t looked right since suffering a knee injury in Week 1. He managed limited work on Wednesday, but things changed fast. As Adam Schefter reported, “Raiders TE Brock Bowers, who was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a knee injury, didn’t practice today.”
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Meanwhile, tight end Michael Mayer and cornerback Eric Stokes both stayed limited for the second straight day. Wideout Justin Shorter, who sat out Wednesday, finally got in some limited reps. Maybe the coaching staff is just easing him back in, or maybe his knee is more of a concern than they’re letting on. Either way, the list keeps growing.