Ravens' Lamar Jackson Will Start vs. Bills After Missing Three Games

Lamar Jackson is back. Ravens coach Jesse Minter said Friday that his quarterback will start Sunday's game against the Bills in Buffalo after missing the past three games with a high ankle sprain.

"We do think we'll have Lamar this week, so go ahead and put that out there," Minter told reporters. Jackson was a full participant in practice again Friday, which removes most of the drama that hung over last week.

That's the contrast with seven days ago. Jackson practiced on a limited basis and was listed as questionable for the Bengals, only for Baltimore to rule him out a day later and give the ankle more time. Tyler "Snoop" Huntley started for the third straight week, and the Ravens lost 35-13 to the Bengals.

The stakes for Baltimore are obvious. The Ravens have dropped two straight to fall to 4-3 and sit last in the AFC North, and they scored 11.5 points per game across those two losses. Getting the two-time MVP back was the expectation all week, going back to Minter sounding optimistic on Monday and reports Tuesday that the Ravens expected him to play. Friday's announcement makes it official.

The timing is also the reason Baltimore was careful last week. The trip to Buffalo starts a stretch of two games in five days, with the Jaguars coming to Baltimore for a Thursday night game right after it. Jackson's ankle now has to hold up through a short week, and Huntley moves back to the backup job.