News » Lamar Jackson isn't staying awake at night

Lamar Jackson isn't staying awake at night thinking about the prospect of making his first NFL start.Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco missed practice Wednesday because of a hip injury www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com , and his status for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals is uncertain.If Flacco can't go, coach John Harbaugh likely will turn to Jackson, whose first pro season thus far has been spent taking a few snaps per game in run situations."I'm going into it just like any other week. Just preparing for whatever," Jackson said. "Everything is still the same."Starting at quarterback for a team desperate to end a three-game skid might cause some rookies to squirm, but Jackson insisted he's sleeping "like a baby."Flacco hurt his hip early in a 23-16 loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 4. He had the bye week to recover, but is still receiving treatment, meaning his availability for Baltimore (4-5) against the Bengals (5-4) could come down to a game-time decision.Harbaugh appears done talking about it."Rather than tip my toe in the water and start answering one question and then not answering the next one, I'm just not going to get into it. I'm just going to leave it alone," he said. "I feel like we don't owe anybody any answers."If Flacco can't play, veteran Robert Griffin III will likely serve as backup to the rookie he's been mentoring since summer. Griffin, like Jackson, was a running quarterback who had to make the transition into a passing league.Griffin won the Heisman Trophy as a junior at Baylor and finished with 2,254 yards rushing with 33 touchdowns. Jackson won the Heisman in 2016 and finished with 4,132 yards on the ground with 50 touchdowns.Now they're together in Baltimore, trying to get the Ravens into the postseason."Everybody wants to be a part of a winner," Griffin said. "This franchise has done a lot of winning; we just got to make sure that we get back to that."After sitting out last season, Griffin launched his comeback by signing in April with the Ravens, presumably to be Flacco's backup. He dropped to No. 3 on the depth chart soon after Baltimore traded up to get Jackson in the first round.Though he has 41 career starts (including playoffs), Griffin will likely serve as a backup Sunday if Flacco can't play. At least he will be in uniform after spending the first nine weeks on the inactive list."I haven't been OK not playing," Griffin said. "I think if I was OK not playing, then I wouldn't be the competitor that I've grown to be. But within that Baltimore Ravens T-Shirt , you have to control what you can."He will do what he's asked on Sunday, but makes no secret of his desire to start."It would be awesome," Griffin said. "It's been a heck of a journey, but coming here was the best thing I could've done. Knowing what it means to play like a Raven and growing with these guys has been something that's been real special for me. If I get that opportunity to go out there and play, I'm going to make most of it and show these guys not only how hard I've been working, but how much I believe in them."Griffin wants to win, and his main contribution toward that end has been to make the 21-year-old Jackson a better quarterback."It's been great. I didn't think I'd be a big brother at 28," Griffin said. "I've got two older sisters, I'm the baby of the family, but it's been great to take Lamar under my wing and kind of be that big-brother figure to him. His future is very bright." With Week 2 featuring five battles between 1-0 teams, who has the best opportunity to remain unbeaten? Ravens at BengalsThursday Night Football has become notorious for lower quality due to the strain a short week of preparation places on both teams. Baltimore and Cincinnati split their season series in 2017, with both road teams leaving with a win. The Ravens are well positioned to continue the trend, coming off a balanced performance in Week 1 against the Bills. While the Bengals are a more talented and seasoned team than Buffalo, Baltimore’s upgraded receivers have brought renewed hope to the offensive effort and the defense displayed no signs of straying from the franchise’s signature dominance. The Bengals will need to get off to a hotter start than they did in Indianapolis, as a 17 point fourth quarter comeback is far less attainable against a stout defense. Eagles at BuccaneersThe Eagles escaped a sour ending to their banner raising home opener, stopping the Falcons on the goal line with time expiring in the fourth quarter. Carson Wentz has still not been cleared for contact, making Nick Foles the confirmed starter for Week 2. Against Atlanta, Foles threw zero touchdowns, averaged just 3.44 yards per pass and finished with a passer rating of 50.7, a far cry from his Super Bowl MVP performance when he threw three touchdown passes and recorded a 106.1 passer rating. Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the surprise of Week 1, defeating the New Orleans Saints in Louisiana. Given Fitzpatrick’s track record Baltimore Ravens Hats , it is still likely that he will follow up his stellar Week 1 with a flat line on Sunday. With uncertainty surrounding Philadelphia and more tape needed before declaring the Buccaneers opening performance more than a fluke, this match up is a toss up. Dolphins at JetsThe Dolphins survived hours of weather delays to win what became the longest game in NFL history when they defeated the Tennessee Titans. Frank Gore and Kenyan Drake proved to be a potent running back duo in Week 1, and Kenny Stills impressed with 106 receiving yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. However, Ryan Tannehill threw two interceptions in his first game since 2016. Sam Darnold’s NFL debut started in disaster, with an immediate pick-six, but he finished the night with a 116.8 passer rating and a road win over the Lions. If Isaiah Crowell can replicate his strong showing (102 rushing yards and two touchdowns) and the Jets receivers can build on their success after catching 76.2 percent of passes in Week 1, then New York is in a good spot to come away with a divisional victory and a 2-0 start. Vikings at Packers Aaron Rodgers added another chapter to his folklore on Sunday night, returning from a knee injury to lead the Packers on a 21-3 run in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bears in Green Bay. And while the organization is being cautious about his injury, the Vikings are planning to face the future Hall of Famer in Week 2. His knee will be a concern, but given his comeback performance against Chicago, Rodgers should still be able to be highly effective on Sunday. Kirk Cousins will have the chance to prove himself against top tier talent in his first divisional contest, after handing Jimmy Garoppolo his first NFL loss. But if Rodgers can continue his successful rapport with Randall Cobb and Davante Adams, the Packers have the chance to gain a strong hold on NFC North early with back-to-back divisional wins. Patriots at JaguarsIn a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game, the Patriots travel to Jacksonville to face off against Blake Bortles and Jalen Ramsey. New England recently signed receivers Corey Coleman and Bennie Fowler in their latest attempt to fill the void left by Julian Edelman’s suspension. Jacksonville is also facing a potential gap on offense, as Leonard Fournette has been held of out practices this week after injuring his hamstring against the Giants, and his status is not yet clear for Week 2. While the Jaguars imposing defense will surely look to take advantage of Tom Brady’s lack of offensive weapons, it will still be no easy task to shut down the connection between Brady and Rob Gronkowski. If the Jaguars can make adjustments from their playoff loss and secure a victory against the AFC’s most imposing team, it could prove pivotal in propelling Jacksonville to another level.