John Harbaugh: Lamar Jackson 'feeling much better' with Browns showdown looming

With a key AFC North matchup looming, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed optimism on Monday about Lamar Jackson's health.

The Ravens quarterback missed Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears with an undisclosed illness. Harbaugh told reporters on Monday that he's been told that Jackson's "feeling much better."

"He felt good today," Harbaugh said. "I don't know how good. But he was feeling much better today from what I was told. I haven't seen him."

While not the most confidence-inspiring assessment of Jackson's health, Harbaugh's update is certainly better news than announcing that Jackson was feeling worse. It's not clear what's ailing Jackson beyond reports that his illness isn't COVID-19 or the flu.

Tyler Huntley played in Jackson's place and threw for 219 yards with an interception and no touchdowns in Sunday's 16-13 win. He also took six sacks. The 7-3 Ravens have a primetime matchup with the 6-5 Cleveland Browns on Sunday in a game critical to a tightly packed AFC North race with all four teams in the division owning winning records. They'd certainly prefer to have their former league MVP quarterback running the offense Sunday night.

But first, Jackson has to practice, obviously. For now Harbaugh says he's "hopeful" Jackson can participate in Tuesday's walk-through. Beyond that, he's not making any projections on Jackson's status.