Jackson went down after being sacked by Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis in the third quarter, leaving backup quarterback Cooper Rush to finish the game.
Asked whether the score played a factor in Jackson sitting the rest of the way, Harbaugh said, “I really don’t have the answer to that right now.”
Baltimore needs answers soon, as a season with Super Bowl aspirations has spiralled to a 1–3 record amid a plethora of injuries. The Ravens lost five starters to injury on Sunday.
Rush has a 9–5 career record as a starter from his time with the Dallas Cowboys, where he filled in for quarterback Dak Prescott numerous times. The former Central Michigan standout has a 60.9 percent completion rate for 3,515 yards and 20 touchdowns in 40 games for his career.
On Sunday, Rush went 9-13 for 52 yards, and he led a scoring drive in the fourth quarter of three plays, 86 yards. Ravens running back Justice Hill did the lion’s share of the output on that drive as he took a 71-yard run to the house and cut the Chiefs’ lead to 37–20 with 1:56 left.
That’s a reality the whole team faces as the injuries have mounted. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey suffered a calf injury, cornerback Nate Wiggins injured his elbow, and linebacker Roquan Smith injured a hamstring.
“Those are the challenges that you do face from time to time, and it’s tough in a game like this against a really good team on the road, but you have to try to find a way to win anyway,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve never made excuses for those kinds of things, and the guys who are up there are going to play well.
“We have to find ways to put our guys in the best positions to execute play after play, and play a winning football game. That’ll be our challenge.”
In Baltimore’s previous 1–3 starts during the 2005 and 2015 seasons, the team didn’t make the postseason. For now, the AFC North has two teams with winning records in the Pittsburgh Steelers (3–1) and the Cincinnati Bengals (2–1), and the Ravens have yet to play either team.
Baltimore lost the season opener 41–40 on a wild comeback by the Buffalo Bills, and the Ravens lost 38–30 to a Detroit Lions team that has Super Bowl aspirations. In addition, the Chiefs, defending AFC Champions, needed the win badly on Sunday, amid a 2–2 start.
Baltimore hosts the Houston Texans (1–3) next in Week 5, a game that could greatly impact the playoff hopes for both teams. Houston made the playoffs the past two seasons and fell to the Ravens in the 2023 Divisional Round.
“I’m concerned, but I’m not overwhelmed by it,” Harbaugh said.
“We’ve played—the three losses are against probably three of the top teams in the league, for sure. That’s just the hand we’ve been dealt, but it doesn’t really matter.
“We have to win the next game. And then once you win the next game, then you have a chance to start stacking some wins. And that’s what we’ve got to do, big picture-wise. But small picture-wise, we have to do a great job of putting together a great game plan and a great practice and then a great game.”