Livescore
With a quarterback room that looks more like an infirmary, it’s pretty clear why the Ravens enter Sunday’s wild-card clash with the Bengals as 8.5-point underdogs.
Star quarterback Lamar Jackson remains out, felled by a sprained knee ligament. Backup Tyler Huntley is available, but dealing with injury concerns of his own.
That leaves coach John Harbaugh with just one fully healthy option under center: third-stringer Anthony Brown, who got the start in the Ravens’ Week 18 clash against…Cincy. Brown’s stat line wasn’t particularly pretty in that game: the 24-year old completed just 19 of 44 passes for 286 yards and failed to record a touchdown in that clash, tossing two picks in the 11-point defeat.
MORE: Sean Payton, Charles Woodson weigh in on Lamar Jackson tweeting injury update
Brown’s frailties were exposed at Paycor Stadium last week. To mitigate his limitations — and offer Cincinnati a different look — the Ravens are expected to use both Huntley and Brown under center, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Stacey Dales.
It is my understanding per source that Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley will start tonight for the #RavensFlock. He made good progress this week working through the right shoulder injury. It is a “possibility” the Ravens could use both QBs, in Snoop & rookie Anthony Brown. #BALvsCIN
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) January 15, 2023
The move represents an effort by Baltimore’s coaching staff to give Huntley a chance to strut his stuff while recuperating. Huntley has been a solid backup, by and large, leading the Ravens to three victories this year while recording two passing scores and one rushing TD.
Huntley has proven more capable of spearheading the Ravens’ run game, a facet that has proved increasingly effective in Jackson’s absence. Brown, meanwhile, has a penchant for airing the ball out: he connected with Sammy Watkins and Isaiah Likely on big pass plays, showcasing the sort of arm talent that attracted him a few admirers while at Oregon.
MORE: Who’s next on the Ravens QB depth chart with Lamar Jackson out?
With Huntley nursing a shoulder injury, he hasn’t proved particularly adept at getting the ball down the field. It seems Harbaugh and Co. are hoping to get the best of both worlds, splitting the load among their two hurlers as Baltimore looks to shock the world and mount a huge upset over the reigning AFC champions.
That’s easier said than done, though, especially against the third-seeded Bengals.
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