Lamar Jackson has right ankle sprain, Ravens plan for him to play vs. Packers

Baltimore Ravens fans held their breath Sunday when quarterback Lamar Jackson was carted off with an ankle injury. No one knew how bad it was, if he'd have to miss any games, or even if he'd have to miss all of the remaining games.

Now they can exhale because the news is "good" — or a lot better than it could have been.

Head coach John Harbaugh said Monday that Jackson has a right ankle sprain. Why is that good news? Because it's not a high ankle sprain, which needs much more time to heal.

The good news didn't stop there. Harbaugh then said that he plans for Jackson to be out there against the Green Bay Packers next week, depending on how he feels.

There are a lot of qualifiers on that, like "we just have to see" and "we'll see where it goes," so it's not a sure thing that Jackson will start next week. But even hearing that it's possible is excellent news, since people were fearing the worst on Sunday.

Starting Jackson when he's dealing with an ankle injury seems risky, but this might be the time to take that risk. The 8-5 Ravens sit atop the AFC North, but the 7-6 Cleveland Browns — the team they lost to on Sunday — and the 7-6 Cincinnati Bengals are nipping at their heels. There are only four regular season games left and just a tiny sliver of daylight between the Ravens and their rivals. They need to bring all the firepower they have to every single game they have left if they want to earn a spot in the playoffs.