Baker Mayfield's Thumb and the GMFB Mystery Box: Tracking the NFL's Latest Injury Scares
Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo provided key injury updates on Baker Mayfield, Terry McLaurin, and Lamar Jackson, sending a ripple of panic through three different fanbases.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 1 min read
Finding live odds…
Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo just dropped an injury update on Good Morning Football that reads like a targeted attack on your fantasy roster, featuring Baker Mayfield, Terry McLaurin, and Lamar Jackson.
We actually know exactly what is going on with Baker. He dislocated his throwing thumb back in Week 3, and his return timeline is basically whenever he can hold a football without screaming. For context, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just lost 26-19 to the Pittsburgh Steelers with Jalon Daniels running the offense, which is exactly the kind of result you expect when your QB1 is physically incapable of giving a thumbs up.
"Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo highlighted the situations on GMFB, bringing national attention to the injury statuses."
Then we have the mystery box portion of the broadcast. Terry McLaurin and Lamar Jackson are both getting the national injury-update treatment despite officially looking healthy on local reports.
The Washington Commanders just took a 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and now their top receiver is suddenly a morning-show talking point. When a guy who just played a full game pops up on an insider's radar a few days later, it is never a fun surprise.
Lamar Jackson being mentioned in an injury segment is the kind of thing that makes the entire city of Baltimore collectively stop breathing. The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a brutal 13-10 divisional rock fight against the Cleveland Browns. When your franchise quarterback gets lumped into an injury roundup right after the offense only manages 10 points, the panic is entirely justified.
If you are looking at the betting markets this week, you have to treat Tampa Bay as a completely compromised operation until Baker is back. As for Washington and Baltimore, we are officially in the refresh-the-app phase of the week. If McLaurin or Jackson start logging missed practices, those upcoming point spreads are going to collapse faster than a backup quarterback facing a zero blitz.
Key stats
Key statsBaker Mayfield is expected to miss 3-6 weeks with a dislocated right thumb.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently lost 26-19 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
The Washington Commanders recently lost 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers.
What's next
Tampa Bay will continue to navigate life without Mayfield, while Washington and Baltimore enter a critical week of practice reports to determine the true severity of the issues surrounding McLaurin and Jackson.
