If the Baltimore Ravens' team spokesman is correct, the injury scare lasted a short time. But for those very brief seconds, it was a reminder of how quickly things can turn when a franchise face is injured.
The Ravens suffered a short yet traumatic scare at practice on Wednesday when Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson left the practice field early. Per beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Jackson left with 40 minutes left in practice with the team's strength and conditioning coach in tow, along with team doctors.
It's amazing how quickly hopes can fade when it comes to hearing potential injury news.
Zrebiec's initial report pointed to a potential hand/wrist injury at work. However, a few minutes later, the Ravens did their best to tamp down the worries.
A team spokesman said that Jackson just got his foot stepped on and he’s fine. https://t.co/Zs6LO78Rs8
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 20, 2025
Time will clarify the matter, since the reports are definitely conflicted here. Was Jackson nursing a hand injury? Are the Ravens just trying to control the news? Is it all much ado about nothing?
It's possible Jackson is fine and Zrebiec's report was meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But for a contending team like the Ravens with very real hopes to play in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, such a brief dalliance with tragedy serves as a sobering reminder of how the fortunes of a franchise can be dashed in the blink of an eye.
For any fan base watching the news on Wednesday, the troubling feeling that crept in at that very moment of reading about Jackson's potential injury was projected upon several other NFL stars.
Chiefs Kingdom has watched in horror in games past as Patrick Mahomes has dealt with on-field pain. When Mahomes suffered a dislocated kneecap in 2019, fans feared that he might be lost for several games or even the rest of the season. Just like that, the team's trajectory changed dramatically, only to later find Mahomes back on the field after two games missed.
While team executives, general managers, and coaches around the NFL do their best to prepare a roster for the upcoming season, no one can do anything about the misfortune of a major injury. Sometimes a team is cursed with such a devastating turn of events and hopes for the season yet started disappear in an instant.
Hopefully, the Ravens' team spokesman has an accurate report and Jackson will be just fine. But the injury scare feels real all the same, not only to those in Baltimore but for every fan waiting for a contending team to make a Super Bowl run in 2025.