This was supposed to be the week that Lamar Jackson took over for Joe Flacco. The 11-year veteran has struggled this season, and he's been battling a hip injury that would almost certainly sideline him for Sunday's game against the Bengals. Jackson, the team's 2018 first-round pick, has been getting the practice reps in preparation ... until Thursday.

Jackson missed the session with "a stomach issue," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, which left only third-string quarterback Robert Griffin III as the only healthy Ravens quarterback. The one thing young quarterbacks need are reps and missing Thursday's practice, while not a deal breaker, certainly robs Jackson of valuable time with the first team.

Meanwhile, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora has reported that the Ravens have had internal debates about whether to move on from Flacco in favor of Jackson, and that the team is preparing to make that move soon, perhaps even this weekend.

"I believe it will end up being Lamar Jackson," La Canfora told Will Brinson on Wednesday during an appearance on CBSSports.com's Pick Six Podcast. "Flacco may respond to treatment in a way that makes him more viable to play by the weekend. But my read on that situation is there's going to be a lot of reps for Lamar in practice this week and I'd be surprised if it's not Lamar."

Things become slightly less clear now that Jackson has missed Thursday's workout and the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec tweeted Wednesday that the Ravens have talked up RG3 as a possible starter, "even if it seems unlikely."

Whatever happens, this much is certain: The Flacco era is quickly coming to a close in Baltimore. The offense remains stagnant and a 4-5, the team trails the Titans and Bengals for the final wild-card spot. And the resurgent Colts, currently just behind the Ravens, could be poised for a playoff run over the next seven weeks. Put another way: Even if Jackson isn't completely ready, Baltimore needs to see what it has.

"I think it could make them ... more difficult to defend," La Canfora explained of the switch to Jackson. "Big part of playing quarterback is throwing the football right? Joe Flacco doesn't do that all that well. But it's also managing the offense, it's putting yourself in positions that are conducive to game management, winning football, situational football and also a defense that has been on the field almost an average of 35 minutes a game and that relies on a 36-year old pass rusher and a 33-year old free safety and a bunch of linebackers who can't run."

The good news is that the Ravens face some of the league's worst offenses in the coming weeks; the Bengals have allowed 4,091 yards in nine games. That average, 454.6 yards a game, would put their defense on pace to surpass the previous all-time record of 7,042 yards, held by the 2012 Saints. In Week 12, the Raiders and their 29th rank defense come to town, and the week after that, the Ravens travel to Atlanta to face off against the Falcons and their league-worst defense. 

In case you're wondering, Griffin's last NFL start came on Jan. 1, 2017 when he was with the Browns.