THE DROP-BACK: Friday, October 1 - Lamar Jackson misses practice for second straight day

ravens

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was absent from practice again on Thursday, making it the second straight practice missed. While it was said that he was just dealing with some back soreness, it is somewhat alarming that he's missing yet another day of work. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman gave an update on his status.

Ravens OC Greg Roman said Lamar Jackson is dealing with "a little back flare-up."

"I don’t think it’s anything serious," Roman said. "But we’re just going to have to kind of wait and see. I think he’s going to be in good shape. We’ll wait and see."

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 30, 2021

​cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are currently undefeated, and a lot of that is due to quarterback Kyler Murray. While he's currently being talked about within the ever-elusive "MVP Conversation," Murray says he's not really thinking about that right now. "It's a long season, and I was always raised and taught that if you win as a team, the individual accolades will come. That's how I treated it in high school, that's how I treated it when I won the Heisman, same thing for now. I'm not really worried about MVP or anything like that."

washington

Earlier this week, Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera said that he wants quarterback Taylor Heinicke to calm down a little bit and focus on managing the game better. In other words: Stop doing too much. Heinicke says he takes no issue with Rivera's comments. "I have no problem with it. That's what every quarterback should be - game manager. You take what's there, take what's given, and you move the ball down the field."

falcons

I know he's supposed to say this stuff, but Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera is really buttering up his opponent for next week. Rivera kind of over-did it when it came to talking about Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. "I mean, this is a savvy guy, this is a guy that's been doing it a long time and has had a lot of success. He's a league MVP. So you know, he's a really good football player. He's got a good arm. He still makes all the throws. He is a little older, but with that comes wisdom and experience. And that's what you see from Matt." Is it, though?

raiders

Oh no. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had some strong words to say about this week's game against the Los Angeles Chargers and I'm just going to leave them here and call it a jinx. "It was always looked at as another home game and that's no disrespect, it's a fact. The way you practice, the way you meet, it felt like a home game. I fully expect Raider Nation to take over the majority of the stadium again. They usually do." Oh no.

- other notes -

• Derek Carr was named AFC offensive player of the month for September.
• Sam Ehlinger returned to practice on Thursday.
• Carson Wentz was limited in Thursday's practice.
• Justin Fields practiced fully for Bears on Thursday, while Andy Dalton​ was limited.