Ravens' Lamar Jackson Believes Cramping 'Probably' Linked to Previous COVID-19

Lamar Jackson suspects that his bout with COVID-19 a couple of weeks ago might have played a part in his cramping during Monday night's dramatic 47-42 win over the Cleveland Browns.

"Probably," he told reporters when asked if he thought there was a link between the coronavirus and his cramps. "Probably because of the body heat and we're running in the cold. It was so cold out there. That probably had an effect on that as well. I can't call it."

Jackson left the game for a period in the fourth quarter, going back into the locker room with his cramping issue. Trace McSorley stepped into the starting quarterback role, though he injured his knee with the Ravens facing a crucial fourth down with less than two minutes remaining and the Ravens down a point.

Luckily, Jackson was able to return and did so in amazing fashion, finding Marquise Brown for a 44-yard touchdown. Jackson then also led the Ravens into field-goal position after the Browns quickly tied the game back up, setting the stage for Justin Tucker's go-ahead, 55-yard kick.

There was some suspicion during the game on Twitter that Jackson's cramps were actually just the quarterback needing to take a bathroom break. The defending MVP refuted that notion, however.

"I was real-life cramping, like my hand, my throwing arm cramping, forearm cramping, fingers getting stuck together," Jackson said. "I was going through it. I was ticked off."

The win was huge for the 8-5 Ravens, who find themselves battling for playoff positioning after earning the top seed in the AFC playoffs a year ago. If the postseason started today, the Ravens would miss out, with the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) atop the NFC North and the Cleveland Browns (9-4) and Indianapolis Colts (9-4) currently holding onto the wild-card positions.

Add in the 8-5 Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore finds itself in a crowded field trying to get into the playoffs. With very winnable games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals remaining, however, Jackson and the Ravens are in a good position to earn a wild-card berth.