OWINGS MILLS — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed his second straight practice because of a knee injury on Dec. 8, reinforcing the likelihood that backup Tyler Huntley will be the starter when the Ravens (8-4) visit Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in a pivotal AFC North matchup on Dec. 11.
Jackson left the Ravens game against Denver on Dec. 4 after he was sacked on the final play of the first quarter and did not return. The next day, head coach John Harbaugh said it was unlikely that Jackson would play against the Steelers (5-7), winners of two in a row.
Harbaugh did not meet with the media after practice Dec. 8, and as is the norm, offensive coordinator Greg Roman offered no injury updates during his weekly Thursday media session.
Huntley started four games in place of Jackson last year, going 1-3, with every game going down to the wire. He led the Ravens to a last-minute touchdown drive in a win against the Chicago Bears, then lost one-point decisions against the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams. The Ravens failed on a two-point conversion try against Green Bay in the final minute, and the Rams won the game with a touchdown in the final minute.
In Huntley’s last start of last season, the Ravens lost the season finale to the Steelers in overtime, 16-13. He went 16-for-31 for 141 yards with two interceptions in that game.
Huntley had played only one snap this season before being pressed into action to replace Jackson against the Broncos as the second quarter started. Focusing primarily on short, high-percentage throws, Huntley went 27-for-32 for 187 yards, with one interception. He also ran 10 times for 41 yards, including a key fourth-down conversion and then a 2-yard touchdown in the final minute that allowed the Ravens to escape with a 10-9 win.
Guard Kevin Zeitler and other teammates have expressed confidence in Huntley, and given that Huntley’s skill-set is similar to Jackson’s, “The entire playbook is still open,” Zeitler said.
Roman stressed that the experience Huntley got last season in starting four games in place of Jackson would serve him well should he be pressed into starting action this week and potentially beyond.
“The fact that he was able to play a stretch of games like that is amazing experience for him, amazing experience,” Roman said. “That’s how you get good. You get good at football by playing football, so he was able to play real NFL football, and I think that’s really going to help him moving forward.”
NOTEBOOK
ZEITLER MISSES PRACTICE AGAIN: In addition to Lamar Jackson, guard Kevin Zeitler missed his second straight practice with a knee injury, a potentially significant development for a key cog of the offensive line who has not missed an offensive snap all season. Other absences on Thursday included center Trystan Colon (personal), cornerback Marcus Peters (rest) and cornerback Daryl Worley (hamstring).
Tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), who has missed the past two games, was limited after practicing fully on Wednesday, and tackle Patrick Mekari (toe) was limited after missing practice a day earlier. Linebacker Patrick Queen (thigh) remained limited, as did linebackers Kristian Welch (concussion) and Del’Shawn Phillips (quad).
REPORT: ROMAN NO LONGER IN RUNNING AT STANFORD: Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman is no longer in contention for the head coaching job at Stanford, according to The Athletic. Roman, who served as an assistant with the Cardinal under Jim Harbaugh, had discussions with Stanford that head coach John Harbaugh last week described as “very preliminary.”
According to The Athletic, the leading contenders for the job are former Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and Sacramento State coach Troy Taylor. Stanford is seeking to replace David Shaw, who resigned after 12 seasons, including a second straight 3-9 mark this year.
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