Reports: Flacco injures hip, Jackson might start

Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco is reportedly suffering from a hip injury that could threaten his availability for the team’s crucial Nov. 18 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and force a change under center.

The severity of the injury is unclear, according to multiple reports, but it could lead to rookie Lamar Jackson’s first start in Baltimore. The Ravens (4-5) are off this week and next host the Bengals in Week11.

Flacco appeared to injure his hip during the Ravens’ first drive in their 23-16 loss Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers, their third straight defeat. On a play that was called back for an offside penalty, Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt hit Flacco in the back and knocked him to the ground, with Flacco appearing to land on his midsection.

On the next play, Pittsburgh defensive end Cameron Heyward hit Flacco as he attempted a pass, though not as forcefully as Tuitt had. Flacco’s first undisturbed pass attempt, on the ensuing third-and-8, was short and wide left of wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who was running a deep out. Flacco finished 23-for-37 for 206 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. In his postgame news conference, Flacco was asked whether the hit he’d taken in the first series had affected him. He said it hadn’t, although he appeared to be in discomfort on the sideline for much of the first half.

Aninjury would only add to the clamor for the Ravens to make a change at quarterback. Entering the weekend, Flacco is 26th in the NFL in passer rating, and he hasn’t finished higher than No. 24 since 2014, the last time the Ravens advanced to the playoffs. The team is 44-45 since Flacco was named Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl XLVII, the crowning achievement of a historic postseason run that helped him secure a then-record contract.

Flacco, 33, has started all but six games for the Ravens since being named the starter as a rookie in 2008. He suffered a season-ending torn ACL and MCL in 2015 and a herniated disk in 2017 that kept him out through the preseason.

The Athletic first reported Flacco’s injury.