Lamar Jackson has been officially ruled out for the Baltimore Ravens ahead of their Week 5 tilt against the Houston Texans.
Career backup Cooper Rush will step into Jackson's massive shoes, and he won't have an easy time against a stingy Texans defense.
Find out how the Jacksons' absence is affecting the NFL odds, and who you should bet on with the superstar QB sidelined.
Is Lamar Jackson playing on Sunday?
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson exited with a hamstring injury late in the third quarter in last week's loss to the Chiefs.
After missing practice early in the week, it became clear that the injury could sideline Jackson in Week 5, which led to massive line movement. The lookahead line had the Ravens as 9.5-point home favorites against the Houston Texans, but that line reopened at -3.5 on Tuesday.
With the Ravens defense also decimated by injuries and their All-Pro QB officially ruled out, the line jumped the fence with the Texans now favored at -1.5.
The Ravens have gone 3-10 straight up and 5-8 against the spread in 13 games without Jackson since 2020. Their offense has averaged just 15.8 ppg in those contests.
Reports have indicated that Jackson could miss several weeks, but the Ravens have declined to offer a timeline for his return.
Lamar Jackson's season-to-date performance
Jackson was putting together another banner season before injuring his hamstring last week.
The two-time NFL MVP has completed 71.6% of his passes for 869 yards and 10 touchdowns with just one interception. He also used his elite speed to pick up 166 yards and a score on 21 rush attempts.
Who do I bet on with Lamar Jackson out?
| Player | Prop (Over/Under) | Over | Under |
 Cooper Rush |
177.5 passing yards | -114 | -114 |
| Mark Andrews |
2.5 receptions | -180 | +134 |
| Mark Andrews |
23.5 receiving yards | -114 | -114 |
| Justice Hill |
2.5 receptions | +106 | -140 |
| Justice Hill |
14.5 receiving yards | -114 | -114 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.
Cooper Rush doesn't have anywhere near as much mobility or arm strength as Jackson. That said, he's a pocket passer who does a decent job of throwing quick passes on short and intermediate routes.
Rush made eight starts with Dallas last year and finished with more than 180 passing yards in six of those contests. The only two games where he went below that number came against the Eagles' top-rated pass defense, and he threw for 354 yards against the Texans in Week 11.
His O/U passing yards total of 177.5 seems a tad too low in a contest where the Ravens will likely have a neutral or negative game script. In addition, Rush often relied on shorter passes to tight ends and running backs during his time with Dallas.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews has logged 13 receptions for 121 yards over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, RB Justice Hill has racked up 3+ receptions in three-straight games, averaging 34.7 receiving yards per game over that span. The receiving props for both players look very tempting.
How to watch Texans vs. Ravens
| Location | M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD |
| Date | Sunday, September 28, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | CBS |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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