By: Justin Gincauskas
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has not decided yet on whether or not quarterback Lamar Jackson will play in Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens have nothing to play for in Week 18 after they clinched the number one seed in the AFC in Sunday’s win over Miami.
“I have not made a decision on any personnel yet,” Harbaugh told reporters Monday. “We’ve got to work through the injury part of it first. That’ll take us probably 24 to 48 hours to get a real handle on that and then we’ll make those decisions. We’re not going to keep it a secret. We’ll let you know what we’re going to do once we start practicing.”
If Jackson does not play against the Steelers, he will have almost a three-week break before Baltimore’s next game. The Ravens have a first-round bye in the postseason and will not play until the AFC Divisional Round, which takes place Jan. 20-21.
Although the game does not mean anything playoff-wise for the Ravens, Harbaugh still has his team focused on playing well against the Steelers. Pittsburgh is essentially in must-win mode, most likely needing a victory against Baltimore and some help to make the playoffs.
“We have kind of a two-fold thought process right now. We have our priority, which is the Steelers game and putting our best foot forward,” Harbaugh said. “Playing our best game against our biggest rival, who we expect, you know, to be playing great football. “We expect it to be a very hard-fought game. So, we’ve gotta get our minds right for that, as we will. Then just playing for the next step in the playoffs.”
If John Harbaugh decides to rest Lamar Jackson, it will most likely be backup Tyler Huntley who gets the start for the Ravens.
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