Lamar Jackson’s day ended early when he went down with a knee injury. He wasn’t able to return, but the initial expectation is that this won’t end his season. Following the game coach John Hrbaugh suggested this would be “days to weeks” and not a season-ending type of injury. A report from Ian Rapoport added that it’s some type of knee sprain. In reality they won’t know until Lamar undergoes an MRI.
By video the mechanism of injury is in line with a PCL sprain or a bone bruise/contusion. Other possibilities include a capsule injury or meniscus damage. The recovery time will depend on exactly what the MRI shows.
The PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) runs along the back of the knee and is important for stability, connecting the thighbone to the back of the lower leg. When the PCL is damaged there is often other damage in the knee as well. An isolated PCL injury doesn’t often require surgery, but a bad sprain or tear can lead to a lengthy absence.
A grade 1 (mild) PCL sprain is sometimes possible to play through but takes 2-3 weeks to heal. A grade 2 (moderate) PCL sprain is tougher to play through and could lead to a multi-week absence, taking around a month to heal. If this is a grade 3 it would likely end Jackson’s season.
A bone bruise can be very painful, but if it is mild it is possible to play through. This could also be a combination of bone bruise and PCL sprain, but that wouldn’t really change the overall recovery time.
At this point Lamar Jackson should be considered very questionable for week 14, but more than likely he will miss at least a game or two.
