Broncos-Ravens Thursday injury report could be massive break for Denver

The Denver Broncos have never beaten Lamar Jackson, and that streak could very well continue on Sunday afternoon, but not because the Ravens will win...

Ravens MVP Lamar Jackson, who is the reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Month and on track for yet another MVP award, has missed the first two days of practice this week as Baltimore preps to play host to the Broncos. Now, Jackson is so good that he doesn't need to practice in order to play, but this could be the perfect matchup for him to "duck" with the rest of the season looming.

The Ravens probably believe they are a good and talented enough team to win at home against a team with a rookie quarterback, even one playing as well as Bo Nix (the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month in October).

Lamar Jackson's status vs. Broncos in Week 9 up in the air

There are plenty of reasons to believe the Ravens would rest Lamar Jackson for this game against the Broncos.

First of all, he's legitimately dealing with injuries. He's being listed as having back and knee injuries on the report, and those aren't just being thrown on there as an excuse to not have Jackson out at practice.

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Second, the Broncos lead the entire NFL in pressures. They get to the quarterback as well or better than every other team in the league right now, and there's a lot of season left. Do the Ravens, who also have a short week with the Bengals on Thursday night, want to risk Jackson further aggravating whatever injuries he is dealing with against Denver?

Third, John Harbaugh has historically been outstanding against rookie quarterbacks in his coaching career. With his Ravens playing at home and the playmakers they have offensively as well as the ability to run the football, he might believe he can play small ball and still come away with a win against the Broncos.

Again, this is going to be a very physical game. The Broncos have been menacing all year long with the play of their defensive front and they have the third-highest pass rush win rate of any team in the NFL right now. Vance Joseph blitzes more than any defensive coordinator in the NFL at over 46 percent.

The Broncos would undoubtedly have fits with Lamar Jackson just like every other team, but if he's actually injured -- and we have no reason to believe he's not -- then putting him out there against this Denver defense is objectively a bad idea.

We'll see what happens come Friday when we'll have a better idea of Jackson's status, but again -- don't be shocked if he's a full participant on Friday and starting on Sunday. This is just a situation to monitor.