Lamar Jackson's return lasts one play as a thumb injury knocks him out at Buffalo

Lamar Jackson came back for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Orchard Park, and he was gone after one snap. The Ravens ruled him out for the rest of the game against the Buffalo Bills with a right thumb injury, according to ESPN and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

On that first play, Jackson's throwing hand hit Bills outside linebacker Greg Rousseau, who was trying to knock the pass down, per ESPN. Jackson looked at his hand right away and walked to the sideline. He left for the tunnel with the hand wrapped and held by a trainer. The team first listed him as questionable to return before ruling him out.

It was his first game since Oct. 4. He had missed the previous three with a high ankle sprain, and Baltimore had scored five touchdowns in 14 quarters without him.

Now the backup is hurt

It got worse. Tyler Huntley, the top backup, is questionable with a toe injury, ESPN's Jamison Hensley reported, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano out of UConn is in at quarterback. A team that came in on a two-game losing streak, with a 35-13 collapse at Cincinnati and a 13-10 loss to Cleveland, is now trying to beat Josh Allen with its third quarterback of the afternoon.

This is the scenario the Ravens could not afford. At 4-3 they spent a week of practice getting Jackson ready, and Ray Lewis gave the team a speech on Friday, per ESPN. The plan was for the two-time MVP to fix an offense that keeps fading after halftime. Instead the thumb on his throwing hand is the new question, and nobody has said how serious it is.

What to watch

The first answer will come from coach Jesse Minter after the game, and the bigger one from any imaging this week. A thumb injury on a quarterback's throwing hand can mean anything from a bruise to a fracture, and the Ravens have not described it beyond "right thumb." If Huntley's toe keeps him limited too, Baltimore may need to add a quarterback before next Sunday. A third straight loss would leave the Ravens at .500 at the midpoint of the season.