Lamar Jackson's Thumb Injury Ends Ravens Game in One Snap

One play. That is the duration of Lamar Jackson's return to the Baltimore Ravens field before his right thumb injury forced him to the locker room for surgery and injured reserve. Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed the diagnosis after the 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Orchard Park.

Jackson had missed the previous three and a half games. He took the field trailing 7-0 after Buffalo's opening drive ended with a Josh Allen touchdown. On the first offensive snap, Jackson dropped back on a play-action pass and was hit while throwing an incomplete pass. He examined his hand immediately and left the field.

"When you lose your quarterback early, we lost him on the first play," Minter said. "That'll be a surgery deal, he'll go to IR." The coach noted the injury could keep Jackson out for the remainder of the season, though he added the team would monitor his recovery.

The departure created a cascade of injuries for Baltimore's signal-caller roster. Tyler Huntley replaced Jackson but suffered a right toe injury late in the first quarter. Huntley was also ruled out, sending undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano into his first NFL regular-season start.

Fagnano completed his first NFL pass to rookie Josh Cuevas for 15 yards. The Ravens' defense managed to limit Buffalo's scoring, with Broderick Washington Jr. recording his first career interception and T.J. Tampa recovering a punched ball from DJ Moore. Derrick Henry also scored on a two-yard run, but the offense stalled repeatedly.

Buffalo extended its lead with field goals and touchdowns from Allen and James Cook. The loss dropped Baltimore to 4-4 and marked its third consecutive defeat. The Ravens now sit in last place in the division with seven games remaining.

The team hosts the 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. Minter did not provide an immediate update on Huntley's toe injury. Fagnano is expected to start if the other quarterbacks remain unavailable.