One of the biggest storylines of Week 11 was the status of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The dynamic QB has been battling a non-COVID illness all week, and heading into Sunday’s clash with the Chicago Bears, his status was reportedly “50/50” to play against the Bears, with the decision coming around game-time.
The decision has been made, and it will be backup quarterback Tyler Huntley getting the start for the Ravens. Jackson will be inactive:
Lamar Jackson is officially inactive (Illness). Tyler Huntley starts.
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) November 21, 2021
This will be Huntley’s first NFL start. He appeared in two games last season, completing three of five passes for 15 yards. He has also appeared in two games in 2021, completing five of 11 passes for 39 yards.
Huntley was a three-year starter at the University of Utah, who took over as a sophomore and started ten games back in 2017. While in college, he flashed athleticism inside and outside the pocket, as well as the ability to throw with anticipation and handle pressure:
Huntley saw extensive action this preseason, posting a massive game in Week 3 against Washington Football Team. In that outing, he completed 24 of 33 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns, without an interception. He also added another 14 yards and a touchdown on six rushing attempts.
In that game, Huntley showed some of the same traits that flashed at Utah. On this third-down conversion, he moves well in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield, hitting the crossing route to move the chains:
On this 17-yard connection with wide receiver James Proche, Huntley flashes the ability to throw receivers open. Proche runs the quick post route from the left slot, and you’ll see Huntley lead Proche to space behind the underneath defender and into the secondary throwing window:
Huntley is releasing this pass before the receiver clears the underneath defender, giving Proche space to operate and pick up yardage after the reception.
Later in the first half, Huntley flashed some prowess into downfield passing game. On this 25-yard touchdown to Binjimen Victor, Huntley uses his eyes to freeze the post safety in the middle of the field, before dropping in a perfectly-thrown vertical route to Victor for the score:
Today, Huntley will square off against a Bears defense that has underwhelmed at times this season. Chicago currently has a Weighted Defensive DVOA of 5.3%, ranking 23rd in the NFL. Furthermore, the Bears will be without Khalil Mack, who was lost for the season this week when Chicago put him on Injured Reserve.
So while Huntley is not the explosive offensive weapon that Jackson is, there are plays to be made against this Bears defense. Certainly the Ravens might have their own defensive issues this season, and you can expect that the Bears defense might try to replicate what the Miami Dolphins did against Baltimore last week in a surprising upset, pressuring Lamar Jackson with a bevy of blitz packages. But Huntley’s skill-set, coupled with the mini-bye to figure things out up front, should be enough for Baltimore to get past the Bears and keep pace in the AFC North.