Over the course of the last month, Lamar Jackson has missed one practice each week.
Now, for the fourth week in a row, Jackson will start for the Baltimore Ravens despite missing practice time.
Jackson will lead the Ravens into a huge first-place AFC North battle against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Friday.
This week, Jackson missed Thursday's practice with an ankle injury. In Week 13, Jackson missed a practice with a toe injury. In the two weeks prior, he missed sessions with ankle (Week 12) and knee (Week 11) ailments.
Regardless of missed practices, Jackson, who practiced Friday according to Harbaugh, will now start his sixth game in a row since he was absent for three straight due to an injured hamstring.
Baltimore is 6-6, having dug itself out of a 1-5 hole with five victories in a row before a Thanksgiving tumble in the form of a 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jackson and the Ravens will lock up with an injured Aaron Rodgers (left wrist) and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who got out to a terrific 4-1 start to the season, but have lost two in a row and five of seven to turn Sunday's matchup into a first-place tussle.
Despite having no game designation, concern will linger for Jackson's health as his string of injuries have coincided with some less-than-stellar play, which has come to be expected from the dynamic Jackson, a two-time AP NFL Most Valuable Player.
Jackson has gone three consecutive starts without throwing a touchdown -- the longest such streak of his career. In those three touchdown-less outings, Jackson has completed just 55% of his passes with an average of 213.3 passing yards, and three interceptions. Since Week 11, Jackson owns a 63.1 passer rating, which is second-worst in the NFL in that span.
Jackson, hoping to be in prime form, and the Ravens (6-6) will square off with the Steelers (6-6) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
