Lamar Jackson's Ankle Sprain Is 'Unconventional.' The Ravens' Season Hangs on a Mystery.

The Week 5 injury report has a new entry, and it's the strangest one yet. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Monday that Lamar Jackson's ankle sprain — the one that has Baltimore's franchise quarterback at just an "outside chance" to play Sunday night in Atlanta — is "unconventional." Not a low sprain. Not a high sprain. Something in between, with a timeline nobody can quite pin down. Welcome to the mystery sprain at the quarter mark of the season.

We covered the initial diagnosis yesterday — the outside chance, the multiple-week possibility, Tyler Huntley waiting in the wings. What's new this morning is the classification, and it's a weird one: according to Rapoport, the sprain Jackson suffered in Week 4 against Tennessee is neither the low nor the high variety. It's an unconventional ankle sprain, the kind that doesn't fit the usual buckets and doesn't come with the usual timetables, NBC Sports' Rotoworld reported.

What "unconventional" actually means

Translation: the Ravens' medical staff and the national insiders are all reading the same MRI and shrugging. Rapoport said Monday that Jackson has an "outside" shot at suiting up Sunday night against the Falcons and could miss multiple games with the unique ankle situation, per Rotoworld. The good news, such as it is: the injury isn't considered long-term and required no surgery. Head coach Jesse Minter told reporters he doesn't expect it to be a long-term issue, and Jackson is officially day-to-day after leaving Sunday's 24-18 win over Tennessee in a protective boot, Bleacher Report noted.

The practical read: expect Huntley on Sunday night. Baltimore will likely go far more run-heavy with Huntley under center, which limits targets for Zay Flowers and the rest of the Ravens' pass catchers, Rotoworld noted. That's not a knock on Huntley — he steadied the ship Sunday — it's just physics. You don't replace the most dynamic runner at the quarterback position in league history with a game manager and call the same plays.

And the matchup is brutal. Sunday night is in Atlanta, against a Falcons defense allowing the third-lowest dropback success rate in the NFL, per NBC Sports — and an Atlanta offense that just hung 45 points on the Saints on Monday night (we were watching that one too). A backup quarterback walking into that building, in prime time, against a defense playing like that, while the home team is coming off a 45-burger? That's about as tough a spot as the schedule can deal you. The Ravens' path to surviving this was always going to run through the run game and the defense; now it has to, with no margin for error.

There's also the calendar to consider. After Atlanta, Baltimore hosts Cleveland on Oct. 18 and Cincinnati on Oct. 25 — two home games against the AFC North's second tier, as we noted yesterday. If Jackson's "unconventional" sprain really is a multi-week situation rather than a multi-month one, that's the stretch to steal: go 1-1 or better without him, get him back for the Bengals, and the 3-1 start does its job as a cushion. But ankles and Lamar Jackson have a history — a low sprain cost him the final four games of 2021, a PCL sprain cost him five plus a playoff game in 2022 — and Ravens fans know better than to pencil in a return date. The only date that matters is Friday: if he's practicing, there's hope. If he's not, it's Snoop time.

Philadelphia's backfield is held together with tape

Baltimore isn't the only contender doing injury math this morning. In Philadelphia, Saquon Barkley (hamstring) was not present at Wednesday's practice — a DNP that surprises nobody, since he was already considered week-to-week after going down Sunday. He's a long shot to play in Week 5, Rotoworld reported, and the Eagles aren't even home: they travel to London to face the Jaguars on Sunday, per USA Today.

Behind Barkley, it's a MASH unit. Tank Bigsby went on injured reserve this week, leaving Will Shipley — a low-end RB3, per Rotoworld — to lead the backfield against Jacksonville, with Dameon Pierce, just activated from the practice squad, as the only other healthy back on the roster, USA Today reported. There is some relief on the way: Dallas Goedert (knee) returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since Week 2 and could suit up, though DeVonta Smith (hamstring) is unlikely to make the London trip, per Rotoworld. The Eagles' passing offense produced 93 yards against Chicago last week. Ninety-three. In a full NFL game. Something has to give.

Reinforcements in Santa Clara

Better news out west, where the 49ers may finally get some bodies back. Six players who opened the season on IR or PUP are now eligible to return, Niners Wire reported: wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf), offensive lineman Austen Pleasants (knee), linebacker Nick Martin (hamstring), cornerback Nate Hobbs (groin), defensive lineman Mykel Williams (knee, PUP) and running back Isaac Guerendo (chest, PUP).

Temper the excitement, though. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Kirk — eligible this week — likely needs another week before returning. Williams, whose practice window opened early, is the best bet: Shanahan said he's hopeful the rookie can suit up Sunday at Seattle if practice goes well. Hobbs could be an option at cornerback if Upton Stout's shoulder keeps him out. Martin has no real timeline, and there's been no update on Guerendo. In other words: help is coming, but this week's help is mostly Mykel Williams and vibes.

And the rest of the wire

This is the part where I point you to our Wednesday wire, which already has the full rundown on the other big Week 5 injury storylines — the Broncos putting Surtain and Bryant on IR, Marcus Davenport's retirement, and Jayden Daniels trending toward starting for Washington. It's all in there; I'm not re-reporting it here.

So here's where things stand at the quarter mark: the two-time MVP has a sprain that defies classification, the Eagles are flying to London without a backfield, and the 49ers are counting chickens that haven't quite hatched. The tell, as always, is practice: if Jackson isn't on the field by Friday, pencil in Huntley for Sunday night and adjust your expectations accordingly. In Baltimore, those words hit different. They hit different everywhere else, too — because when Lamar Jackson's ankle is a mystery, the whole AFC holds its breath.