Lamar Jackson's Ankle Injury Puts Sunday Night Football in Jeopardy

Lamar Jackson is officially on the wrong side of the practice report, and the entire Sunday Night Football viewing experience is hanging in the balance.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback sat out Thursday's session with an ankle injury. That turns Friday's practice into a high-stakes waiting game for anyone holding a ticket, a fantasy roster spot, or a betting slip for this weekend.

"Adam Schefter reported that Friday's practice looms large for Jackson's potential availability."

Baltimore is coming off a gritty 24-18 win over the Tennessee Titans earlier this week. But surviving a rock fight against Tennessee is a very different assignment than keeping pace with an Atlanta Falcons offense that just hung 45 points on the New Orleans Saints.

Ankle injuries for a quarterback who moves like a sports car are basically the equivalent of a check-engine light flashing right before a cross-country road trip. You might be able to drive on it, but you are definitely sweating every time you hit the gas.

If Jackson cannot go, the betting lines for Sunday night are going to look like a stock market crash. The difference between Lamar and a backup trying to outscore this Falcons team in their own building is roughly the size of the Grand Canyon.

Friday is the real deadline here. If Jackson is not out there moving around, prepare for a primetime game that suddenly looks a lot less like a heavyweight fight and a lot more like a survival test for Baltimore.