Lamar Jackson is starting under center for the second weekend in a row this Sunday as the Baltimore Ravens take on the Oakland Raiders. And if things go well, he could keep the starting job, even as Joe Flacco returns healthy next week.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Sunday morning that Flacco will return to practice Tuesday but that “Lamar Jackson has a strong shot to keep the job” if the Ravens beat the Raiders in Week 12.
Joe Flacco is set to return to practice Tuesday after resting his injured hip for 2 weeks I'm told. At this point he's on clear of the starting status moving forward. The Ravens beat the Raiders today, Lamar Jackson has a strong shot tk keep the job
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) November 25, 2018
This isn’t a shocking development. Even before the season began, many believed that Flacco’s job was in jeopardy once the Ravens picked Jackson up at the end of the first round during April’s draft.
Then, Baltimore started losing. It lost four of Flacco’s last five starts, including his last three. All the while, the veteran was barely keeping the passing game alive and had just four touchdowns (and four interceptions) in those five starts.
Jackson came into the lineup last weekend and sparked an offensive attack that won the game, and he broke an NFL record in the process.
At some point, the only thing to do is go with what’s working. If Action Jackson does lead Baltimore to another win Sunday, then it would be really hard to justify putting Flacco back into the starting lineup.