Lamar Jackson Ruled Out After Thumb Injury on First Play of His Return Against Bills

Updated 22:27 UTC, Nov 1

Baltimore head coach Jesse Minter said after the game that Jackson will have surgery on his right thumb and will be placed on injured reserve. Asked whether the injury could end Jackson's season, Minter said, "potentially."

"That'll be a surgery deal, he'll go to (injured reserve)," Minter told reporters after Baltimore's 36-10 loss in Buffalo, USA Today reported. "That's a tough deal."

Injured reserve means Jackson misses at least four games. He returned to the Baltimore sideline during the third quarter with a brace on his hand and thumb, the CBS broadcast showed. Backup Tyler Huntley also left the game with a toe injury, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano finished the game at quarterback for Baltimore.

The earlier report follows.

Lamar Jackson waited three games to get back on the field for Baltimore. His return lasted one play. The Ravens quarterback injured his right thumb on the first play of the game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Nov 1, 2026, and the team ruled him out for the rest of the day.

One play, then the locker room

Jackson threw on the Ravens' first play from scrimmage, an incomplete pass intended for Zay Flowers with 10:04 left in the first quarter. His throwing hand hit Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau as he threw, and reporters at the game said the hand also struck a defender's helmet on the follow-through. Jackson grabbed his hand at once, left the field and went to the locker room. Tyler Huntley replaced him at quarterback.

The Ravens first listed Jackson as questionable to return. The team posted the update in plain terms: "QB Lamar Jackson (right thumb) is questionable to return." Several minutes later, still in the first quarter, Baltimore ruled him out for the rest of the game with a right thumb injury. The game was still in progress when this report was written, and no final score is stated here.

Back after three games out

Sunday was Jackson's first game back after a left high ankle sprain. He suffered the injury in Week 4, 2026, against the Tennessee Titans, and he missed the last three full games, Weeks 5 to 7, while he recovered. On Oct 22, 2026, Jackson spoke about the recovery and said, "Right now, I'm headed in the right direction." He returned to the starting lineup against Buffalo, a two-time most valuable player giving Baltimore its starter back for a home stretch of the season, and then the return ended on his first snap.

Huntley takes over again

Huntley is a familiar stand-in. He started the last three games for Baltimore while Jackson was out with the ankle injury and went 1-2 in those starts. In that stretch he threw for 727 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He took over again on Sunday after one play, facing the same job with no notice at all this time.

What is known and what is not

The confirmed facts are short. Jackson has a right thumb injury, suffered on his throwing hand on the first play against Buffalo. He was first called questionable to return, then ruled out in the first quarter. The reports from USA Today, NBC Sports, theScore, Bleacher Report and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle all match on those points. None of the reports in this story states how long Jackson will be out, and the Ravens had given no timetable in the updates cited here. Any word on further games will have to come from the team after the thumb is examined.