The Baltimore Ravens finally received the news they had been awaiting after defeating the Chicago Bears 30-16 in Week 8. Head coach John Harbaugh assured that quarterback Lamar Jackson will return soon. But the question is: when?

Speaking to reporters, Harbaugh made it clear that Lamar Jackson’s recovery is on track, and the team expects him to return to the field on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins – his first game since Week 4. “I feel very confident about it. We’ll expect him to be out there Thursday night,” Harbaugh said in a press conference video shared by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on X.

The update brings relief to a Ravens team desperate to find stability after navigating a tough stretch without their MVP quarterback. The team initially listed Lamar as a full participant on the injury report on Friday, suggesting he might return in Week 8. However, later his status was changed.

But no doubt, the hope has remained high since the bye week. And now, in week 9, that time is likely to come.

Jackson suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, the Ravens have gone 1-2, struggling to find their rhythm without their QB.

That said, the quarterback was playing well before the injury. Through the first four weeks, he posted a 71.6% completion rate, led the league with 10.78 yards per attempt, threw 10 touchdowns, and had just one interception.

Meanwhile, Tyler Huntley stepped in but couldn’t do much to help the team win. Still, his performance on Sunday injected some life into Baltimore’s fading campaign, as he completed 17 of 22 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown.

Historically, Baltimore’s offense has struggled without Jackson. Since he entered the league in 2018, the Ravens are 4–12 in games he hasn’t played, averaging just 15.4 points per game in those contests, per StatMuse. That drop-off highlights just how much Jackson drives this offense and why his expected return in Week 9 could mark the turning point Baltimore’s been waiting for.

NFL to investigate Lamar Jackson’s injury update

As the Ravens prepare to welcome back Jackson, the NFL has opened an investigation into the process by which the team reported his injury status. The issue arose when Baltimore listed Jackson as a full participant in practice on Friday, then retroactively changed his status to limited and sat him out the next day. The league is now investigating whether the team violated injury-reporting policy.

Jackson participated in scout team reps alone on Friday’s practice and didn’t practice with the starters, reporter Jamison Hensley wrote. That would have made him listed as limited under league policy, he said. So, what the injury report policy says?

The NFL injury report policy states, via Hensley: “A player who participates in individual drills, but for medical reasons doesn’t take his normal repetitions during the team portion of practice and is assigned to the scout team should be listed as ‘limited participation.’ Participation on the scout team, no matter how extensive, by a player whose normal repetitions would be with the starter but for his medical condition, would not alter the player’s proper designation as ‘limited participation.'”

But now that things have turned differently, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, “The league will look into this. The league reviews any matter involving a change to a player’s status.”

On the other hand, Harbaugh addressed the issue following Sunday’s game, labeling it an honest error. “I’m not involved in those rules. I don’t know those particular rules,” he stated. “I think they felt like because he did the same number of reps it was a full practice, but when you dig in and you read the rule, at the end of the day it wasn’t right.”

Even when the NFL decided to investigate this matter, the head coach did not change his stance. He stood firmly on what he believed was a genuine mistake and had no ill motives.