Steelers' AFC North Rival In Shambles As Odd Injury Continues To Linger For Baltimore

The Pittsburgh Steelers blew a massive opportunity in Week 7 to extend their AFC North division lead. It was a rough Thursday Night Football contest for Mike Tomlin and co., which resulted in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. It could always be worse however, as the Baltimore Ravens and Head Coach John Harbaugh are stuck in the basement of the division with a record of 1-5. Injuries have played a big part in the very unexpected start to the year, and it will be tough to climb out of the hole they are in, despite having had a Week 7 bye to get healthy.

It was expected that dynamic quarterback Lamar Jackson would heal up his hamstring during the Ravens' break, but that is now turning out to potentially not be the case. There are mixed signals being sent from Baltimore, which could lead one to believe that the signal-caller's ailment is much more serious than originally thought. According to Harbaugh, via ESPN reporter Jamison Hensley, Jackson still isn't ready to be out on the field.

Coaches can sometimes try to keep their lips sealed for as long as possible before weekly injury reports are revealed, but it feels as if Jackson, a quarterback that relies on being able to run the football, is still having setbacks with his hamstring. The Ravens play an ascending Chicago Bears team in Week 8, so not having their two-MVP would be problematic. Even wide receiver Zay Flowers told reporters that he's not sure what is going on.

"I don’t really know the situation, if I’m being honest," Flowers stated. "If he is, we’ll be ready to go."

These comments from one of Baltimore's most relied-upon offensive weapons highlights the fact that the players in the locker room have no idea what to expect when it comes to Jackson's health. His hamstring issue could be lingering, and letting him go out and play with the possibility of serious aggravation doesn't make sense, even when the season is on the line in mid-October.

The Steelers won't have to play the Ravens until December, so it is likely that Jackson will be fully ready to go that far down the line. If the quarterback does miss more games, however, and the playoffs become out of reach for Baltimore, it will be interesting to see how the organization handles its most important player. One injury can truly derail a team's season, and a poor start with Jackson in the lineup only got worst when he was injured and removed from the equation. 

It feels as if Pittsburgh's main competition in the AFC North will be the Bengals, a franchise that will be led by Joe Flacco for the foreseeable future. Hamstring injuries are unfortunately seen way too much in the NFL, but it's even more impactful when one of the best players throughout the entire league has something lingering. The Ravens continued to keep it in-house, which could tell fans that something is going on behind the scenes that is a little more concerning.

Steelers Are Hoping To Bounce Back After Loss To Bengals

One thing is certain within the AFC North, and that's the fact that Pittsburgh is in control of its own destiny. The defeat at the hands of Cincinnati wasn't ideal, but it's not the end of the season by any means. Jackson's Ravens could be eliminated from the postseason conversation by Thanksgiving, which would certainly come as a shock if someone told the average fan that in August. Now, after a bad start to the year, Jackson's mysterious injury is truly affecting Baltimore and the AFC North as a whole.

Do you think that the Steelers are paying attention to what's going on with Jackson? Let us know in the comments below!

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