The Baltimore Ravens have an important matchup in Week 14, as the team is set to face the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North. 

Though the belief is that quarterback Lamar Jackson will be ready to go, he has been hit with a concerning injury update.

Per reports, Jackson is now practicing on Thursday. This is now the fourth week in a row that he has missed a day of practice due to injury. 

In Week 11, Jackson missed a practice due to a knee injury.

In Week 12, he missed practice due to an ankle injury. 

In Week 13, he missed practice due to a toe injury. 

Now, he is missing practice due to an ankle injury. Clearly, Jackson has not been fully healthy since his return from his hamstring injury. 

The silver lining is that Jackson has played in all games in which he was hit with a DNP (Did Not Participate) status, but the growing concern should be on his overall health. 

Should Jackson not be able to play against the Steelers, Tyler Huntley would assume the starting role. 

The Ravens need Jackson to remain healthy, especially down the stretch, as they are attempting to take the division. Whatever team wins on Sunday will improve to 7-6 and lead the AFC North.

The loser would then drop to somewhere around the 11th or 12th seed in the AFC. Baltimore cannot afford to lose this game, nor many more beyond that. 

Jackson gives the team the best chance at winning, but his longevity matters a great deal as well. Head coach John Harbaugh could decide to sideline him for a week to give the multitude of injuries he has been hit with a chance to heal.

Then again, Jackson has proven that he can be trusted while playing through injury. The issue then becomes his ability to run the ball.

A big reason the offense flourishes is his ability to rifle off chunk yardage with his legs. Having knee, toe, and ankle injuries could be heavily affecting his ability to run at all. 

Jackson's carries have not dropped dramatically, as he is still averaging about six per game. However, the effectiveness of his rushing attempts has dropped. 

Jackson has not gone over 30 yards on the ground since Week 10. Granted, it is Derrick Henry who should be getting the brunt of the carries, but Jackson's ability to offer another layer of an offensive threat always helps.

Jackson's injury is something to monitor and a DNP on Friday could make it harder for him to suit up in this must-win Steelers matchup.