Ravens 'No Decision Yet' On Lamar Jackson Playing Week 18 vs. Pittsburgh
The Ravens have clinched the AFC North crown and are the No. 1 overall seed for the upcoming AFC playoffs, and really have nothing of note to play for on Sunday.
That being the case, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said he is still undecided if he'll allow quarterback and league MVP favorite Lamar Jackson to suit up and play against the division-rival Steelers on Sunday.
USA Today
“I have not made any decisions on personnel yet,” Harbaugh said, via video from the team. “We’ve got to kind of 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.”
One thing for Harbaugh to consider is coming along with the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Ravens will have a first-round bye in the playoffs. That means that if players rest in Week 18 they'd go three full weeks without a game.
Some coaches would consider that too long of a layoff and would want to keep the players sharp. Weighing that with the injury potential in a meaningless game is part of the coaching staff's job.
Back in 2019, Jackson sat out the regular-season finale (also against the Steelers) and then the Ravens lost to the Titans in the divisional round two weeks later.
“We did our best [in 2019],” Harbaugh said, the Baltimore Sun. “The decisions we made, we made for the right reasons. You’ve got to look at everything from the framework of today — this team and what we’re facing.”
