Ravens rule out Lamar Jackson for Sunday night vs. Falcons; Tyler Huntley to start

The Baltimore Ravens will head into Sunday night's meeting with the Atlanta Falcons without their two-time MVP quarterback. Head coach Jesse Minter ruled Lamar Jackson out for the game, citing the ankle sprain that kept him out of practice all week and left his status in question into Friday.

The decision projects an immediate and significant reshuffle of the Ravens' attack. Reports from Baltimore's Friday preparation point to Tyler Huntley getting the start in Atlanta, with the team's backup plan built around the veteran who has quarterbacked the Ravens before when Jackson was unavailable. The drop-off matters nationally precisely because the Ravens have leaned on Jackson's legs and arm to cover for injuries elsewhere on the roster.

Minter had left the door open as late as Thursday, saying the team would give Jackson every chance to play before making a call. By Friday the ankle had not responded well enough, and the coaching staff committed to Huntley — a decision that reshapes the Sunday night matchup into a far more even affair than the schedule makers envisioned when the game was circled as a marquee quarterback duel.

The Falcons, meanwhile, roll in with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. playing some of the best football of his young career and a defense that has quietly improved through five weeks. Baltimore's offense, which averages among the league's best totals when Jackson is under center, becomes a run-first operation without him, the sort of setup Atlanta's front-seven has handled better at home this season.

Sunday night kicks off with the Ravens' playoff ambitions riding on their backup's shoulders — a high stakes test for Huntley in one of the season's biggest games to date.