Lamar Jackson needs thumb surgery and goes to IR after one play in Ravens' 36-10 loss to Bills

Lamar Jackson's comeback lasted one play.

The Ravens quarterback returned Sunday in Orchard Park after missing three games with a high-ankle sprain. On Baltimore's first offensive snap against the Buffalo Bills, he hurt his right thumb. Baltimore lost 36-10.

Surgery, injured reserve, and no promise on the season

After the game, Ravens coach Jesse Minter said Jackson will have surgery on the thumb and be placed on injured reserve. That means a minimum of four games out.

Asked whether the injury could end Jackson's season, Minter answered: "Potentially. We'll see where it's at."

The injury came on an incompletion intended for Zay Flowers. Jackson's throwing hand hit the arm of Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau as he released the ball. He grabbed the thumb right away in obvious pain and went to the sideline. The team took him to the X-ray room, and he was escorted to the locker room with a towel wrapped around his right hand.

Baltimore first listed him as questionable to return. Within minutes he was ruled out.

What Jackson had done before this

Jackson, 29, played four games this season before the ankle injury, which he suffered in the Oct. 4 win over Tennessee. He completed 68 of 96 passes (70.8 percent) for 967 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. He added 144 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. The Ravens were 3-1 in those starts.

Without him, they won in overtime against the Falcons in Week 5, and they went 1-2 over the three games he missed. Sunday was their third straight loss.

Then the backup went down too

Tyler Huntley took over and played into the second quarter. He was sacked by Buffalo's Cole Bishop, fumbled, and left with a toe injury.

That put Joe Fagnano on the field. The undrafted rookie from UConn had never appeared in a regular-season NFL game. He finished 10 of 21 for 91 yards with an interception and a lost fumble.

His first drive showed some life: a 15-yard completion to Josh Cuevas, then a 13-yarder to Ja'Kobi Lane. Then Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston sacked him for a nine-yard loss, two incompletions followed, and kicker Tyler Loop missed a 34-yard field goal. His second drive ended three-and-out after another sack.

Fagnano took some hard hits and said after the game he would be fine.

How the game got away

Buffalo scored on both of its first two drives. Josh Allen ran in his 88th career rushing touchdown on a fourth-down quarterback sneak, and Tyler Bass kicked a 56-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.

Baltimore's defense kept fighting. Roquan Smith knocked the ball out of DJ Moore's hands in the second quarter, and T.J. Tampa recovered it in his first game back from a Week 1 knee injury. It was Smith's second forced fumble of the season and Tampa's first career fumble recovery.

The offense, with no healthy veteran quarterback, could not capitalize.

Four days to regroup

The Ravens host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football, with kickoff set for 8:25 p.m. Jacksonville is 5-2 after beating Indianapolis 42-7 on Sunday.

The team has not announced who will start at quarterback. Huntley's toe injury leaves his availability open, and the only other quarterback to play Sunday was Fagnano. With Jackson on injured reserve for at least four games, that question carries through the stretch that follows Thursday.