Lamar Jackson injury history: Complete injury timeline for Ravens quarterback originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
There’s no question that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the most exciting players in the NFL when healthy, but keeping him 100 percent healthy can be a challenge at times.
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Jackson missed two seasons with injuries between his MVP seasons in 2019 and 2023, and when another injury struck in 2025, he quickly began to drift away from the Ravens.
It’s probably no coincidence that Jackson’s fully healthy seasons were undoubtedly his best. After returning from injury in 2022, Jackson returned to MVP form, winning his second MVP award in 2023 and then having an even more impressive season from a statistical standpoint the following season.
Here’s a look back at Jackson’s injury history and how many games he missed due to injury.
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Lamar Jackson injury history
2021: Ankle sprain
After missing one game in 2019 due to pre-postseason break and another in 2020 due to COVID-19, Jackson missed his first game in 2021 due to injury.
While Jackson initially missed the 2021 game against the Chicago Bears with a non-COVID illness, he later missed the Ravens’ final four games of the season with a severe ankle sprain. He was injured early in a Week 14 loss to the Cleveland Browns, with Baltimore limping to an 0-5 finish and Jackson missing the postseason.
2022: PCL sprain
Jackson struggled in his MVP season in 2022, scoring 10 touchdowns in his first three starts but just seven over his final nine games before going down with a sprained PCL in his knee.
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Although Jackson was tagged every week and hoped to return to the playoffs, he missed the final five games of the regular season and the Ravens’ wild-card game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore went 3-3 without Jackson, including a playoff loss, and some wondered if he had played his final game with the Ravens, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.
After much speculation about his future, Jackson agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract extension to stay in Baltimore long-term.
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2025: Hamstring strain
Jackson injured his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4 of the 2025 season and did not return for a month, missing games against the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears with bye weeks in between.
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Jackson’s injury took a little longer than he hoped as the Ravens targeted the Bears game as his potential return date, but he looked completely like himself against the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately for Jackson, the momentum didn’t last.
2025: Various diseases
After returning from a hamstring injury, Jackson struggled to play like he did in 2024, throwing four touchdowns and five interceptions in seven starts against the Dolphins.
Meanwhile, Jackson battled various ailments that kept him out of practice. Jackson missed practice with ankle, toe and knee injuries and also missed practice with an illness. While these injuries didn’t keep him out of games, his performance seemed to suffer.
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2025: Back contusion
Jackson exited the prime-time game against the New England Patriots with a back contusion and did not return, putting his status for the Ravens’ Week 17 game in doubt even as Baltimore’s playoff hopes hang in the balance. While Jackson didn’t receive a formal diagnosis other than a “deep tissue bruise,” the injury was painful enough to keep him from returning for a crucial game against an AFC contender.
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How many games has Lamar Jackson missed in his career?
Jackson missed 17 games in eight seasons in the NFL, including the playoffs, before suffering a back contusion during the 2025 season. Here’s the full breakdown:
|
season |
miss game |
reason |
|
2018 |
0 |
|
|
2019 |
1 |
rest |
|
2020 |
1 |
Coronavirus disease |
|
2021 |
5 |
ankle, disease |
|
2022 |
6 |
knee |
|
2023 |
0 |
|
|
2024 |
1 |
rest |
|
2025 |
3 |
Hamstring |
Jackson missed 16 games, two due to rest before the playoffs and two due to illness. His longest absence due to injury was six games, with Jackson missing the Ravens’ final five regular-season games and one playoff game with a sprained PCL in his knee.
