FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons are preparing to face Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, though his status is up in the air because of a knee injury.
The Ravens (9-5) are set to host the Falcons (5-9) at 1 p.m. Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
“I’m going to climb behind the barricade of it’s probably not the time to put a lot of information out there on our injuries, for competitive purposes,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh told the Baltimore media Tuesday. “We’re just going to let that develop and see where we go with it and not try to walk the tightrope of what we say.”
The Ravens’ offense has struggled over the past three games without Jackson but posted two wins before a 13-3 loss Saturday against Cleveland.
Tyler Huntley is Jackson’s backup quarterback.
“We’ve seen Huntley for a couple of games,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “Lamar, those guys, schematically are different players. Both of them certainly can extend plays, and we’ve all seen the highlights when Lamar keeps it.”
The Ravens are in contention for the AFC North title. They are one game behind the Bengals (10-4) with three games to play.
Jackson was having another fine season. He’s the Ravens’ leading rusher, with 764 yards on 112 carries and three touchdowns. He has completed 203 of 326 passes for 2,242 yards (62.3%) with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
“They make you defend everything in the run game,” Smith said. “They are a heavy gap-scheme team. That’s kind of how they evolved. That kind of fits their personnel in how they used their tight ends, their fullback. That line, they are big heavy guys. They are trying to get you in those double teams.”
Huntley, who played at Utah, also is a mobile quarterback. He has rushed 25 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. He’s completed 52 of 74 passes (70.3%) for 413 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
“They are also going to make you account for the quarterback in it,” Smith said. “You have to be really sound in your run fits. Because when you are wrong, you get those explosive runs.
“Certainly, Lamar has done it better than anybody at that spot (over) the last couple of years. You prepare for him. Like every week. We’ll prepare the best we can for Lamar. Huntley is a good player, too. If he plays, he plays. That’s how we’ll go about it.”
Ravens rookie Kyle Hamilton, who played at Marist and Notre Dame, is contributing on defense.
“They are using him very similar to what you saw on tape at Notre Dame,” Smith said. “A lot of big slot-corner spot. They pressure him. They play him deep. It’s all of the things you saw on Notre Dame. They are using him on (special) teams.”
Hamilton has played in 13 games and made one start. He has 47 tackles, four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits.
“You certainly notice him out there,” Smith said. “He’s got a lot of length and range. So, been watching him, especially recently. He’s making an impact.”
The Ravens traded with the Bears for former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith.
“They definitely added a really good player,” Arthur Smith said. “You could feel him when you are just watching the film. … I know he’s a Georgia guy. He’s been very productive. He was productive in Chicago. You see it as soon as he got into Baltimore. He’s an instinctive player. You see him all over the tape.”
Roquan Smith was at a contract impasse with the Bears before the trade. He’s played six games with the Ravens and has 47 tackles, five tackles for loss, one quarterback hit and two sacks.
“He’s at the point of attack making plays,” Arthur Smith said. “They added a good football player, and he’s making an impact.”
The Falcons rank third in the NFL in rushing, with 164.1 yards per game. The Ravens have the No. 3 rush defense, which gives up 85.6 yards per game.
“We’ve been challenged,” Smith said. “We’ve seen some of the better defensive fronts. It’s a huge challenge this week in Baltimore. Baltimore is right at the top in almost every category in run defense.”
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