Lamar Jackson Injury History: Complete Ravens QB Injury Timeline originally appeared on Sports news. Add “Sports News” as Preferred source by clicking here.
There's no doubt Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is one of the NFL's most exciting players when he's healthy, but keeping him 100% healthy can be a challenge at times.
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Between his MVP campaigns in 2019 and 2023, Jackson finished two seasons on the sidelines due to injury, and the Ravens began a rapid decline in 2025 when another injury struck.
It's probably no coincidence that Jackson's fully healthy seasons were by far his best. After recovering from injury in 2022, Jackson returned to MVP form, winning his second MVP award in 2023 and had an even more impressive campaign from a statistical standpoint the following season.
Let's take a look 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 during the pre-playoff break in 2019 and another due to COVID-19 in 2020, Jackson missed his first games with injury in 2021.
Although a non-COVID illness initially cost him a game against Chicago Bears In 2021, Jackson missed the final four games of the Ravens' season with a significant ankle sprain. He was injured early in the loss to Cleveland Browns in Week 14, and Baltimore limped to 0–5 and missed the playoffs with Jackson out of the lineup.
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2022: ACL sprain
Jackson struggled to live up to his MVP performance in 2022, throwing 10 touchdowns in his first three starts and just seven in his last nine before going down with a sprained ACL in his knee.
Despite being designated weekly and hoping to return for the playoffs, Jackson missed the final five games of the regular season and the Ravens' matchup with the team. Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore went 3-3 without Jackson, including a playoff loss, and some wondered if he played his last down with the Ravens, whose contract expires after the season.
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After much speculation about his future, Jackson agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract extension to remain in Baltimore long-term.
MORE:Inside Lamar Jackson's Family Tree
2025: Hamstring strain
Jackson suffered a hamstring injury against Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth week of the 2025 season and did not return for a month, missing games against Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears with a bye week in between.
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The injury cost Jackson a little longer than he had hoped, as the Bears game was picked by the Ravens as a potential return date, but in his return against Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately for Jackson, this momentum did not last long.
2025: Various ailments
Returning from a hamstring injury, Jackson struggled to play like he did in 2024, throwing four touchdowns and five interceptions in seven starts since his return against the Dolphins.
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Meanwhile, Jackson battled various ailments that prevented him from training. Jackson missed practice with ankle, toe and knee injuries and also missed practice with an illness. While these injuries never kept him from playing, they did seem to affect his play.
2025: Back bruise
Jackson was eliminated from the primetime game against New England Patriots with a back contusion and did not return, putting his status in question for the Ravens' Week 17 game despite Baltimore's playoff hopes being on the line. Although Jackson was not given an official diagnosis other than a “deep bruise”, the injury was so painful that he was unable to return for the crucial game against an AFC rival.
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How many games has Lamar Jackson missed in his career?
Before his back injury during the 2025 season, Jackson had missed 17 games in eight NFL seasons, including the playoffs. Here's the full breakdown:
|
Season |
Missed games |
Cause |
|
2018 |
0 |
|
|
2019 |
1 |
Rest |
|
2020 |
1 |
COVID-19 |
|
2021 |
5 |
Ankle, illness |
|
2022 |
6 |
Knee |
|
2023 |
0 |
|
|
2024 |
1 |
Rest |
|
2025 |
3 |
Hamstring |
Jackson missed 16 games, including two due to rest before the playoffs and two due to illness. His longest absence due to injury was six games, as Jackson missed the Ravens' final five regular-season games and a playoff game with a sprained knee in 2022.
