OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Tyler Huntley is expected to start against the Cincinnati Bengals despite not practicing Friday with a non-COVID-19 illness, according to a source.
Huntley would start in place of Lamar Jackson, who hasn’t practiced the past two weeks because of an injured right ankle. The Ravens have officially listed Huntley and Jackson as questionable.
This would mark Huntley’s third career start, but none has been as important as Sunday’s game in Cincinnati, where the Ravens (8-6) and Bengals (8-6) are battling for first place in the AFC North. With a victory, Baltimore would have a 67% chance of winning the AFC North, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. The Ravens’ chances of capturing the division plummet to 8.5% if they lose to the Bengals.
Huntley, who went undrafted out of Utah in 2020, has been impressive in filling in for Jackson. In Sunday’s 31-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Huntley became the first player in Ravens history to record multiple touchdown passes and touchdown runs in the same game. Over the past two weeks, Huntley has produced 603 total yards, trailing only Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers.
Baltimore has become suddenly thin at quarterback. Josh Johnson was the only quarterback practicing Friday because Huntley is sick, Jackson is injured and practice squad QB Chris Streveler is on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, has been out since Dec. 12, when he injured his right ankle early in the second quarter of a 24-22 loss in Cleveland. This is the first time in Jackson’s four-year NFL career that he has missed consecutive games.
The Ravens have lost three straight games and are looking to avoid getting swept by the Bengals for the first time since 2015.