John Harbaugh speaks on Lamar Jackson plans for Ravens' Week 18 game vs. Steelers
The Baltimore Ravens head into their regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers with nothing to play for. The Ravens clinched both the AFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the AFC following their home win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. The Ravens put together eight touchdown drives and logged three […]
The Baltimore Ravens head into their regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers with nothing to play for.
The Ravens clinched both the AFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the AFC following their home win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. The Ravens put together eight touchdown drives and logged three takeaways against the Tua Tagovailoa-led Dolphins offense.
The Ravens faced the exact same situation four years ago when they entered their Week 17 home clash with the Steelers having already locked up the top spot in the AFC standings. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh decided to sit Jackson in the contest, and Baltimore ended up cruising to a 28-10 win.
This time around, Harbaugh has a feeling that Jackson wants to take the field against the Steelers.
"I’ve given a lot of thought to it, and it was all hypothetical until just now," Harbaugh said during his postgame press conference. "I’m sure I’ll talk to Lamar, and I’m sure he’s going to want to play. But, we’re going to have to talk about that and decide what we want to do. You can only take six players out of the equation. There’s going to be injuries anyway, so it’s not like the preseason. You’re playing your team except for whoever you end up taking out.
"We’re going to have to have the conversation. We have not made any decision there yet."
As mentioned, the Ravens sat Jackson against the Steelers in the final week of the 2019 season, and the majority of their regular starters did not play in the entirety of the divisional contest. It was just two weeks later that the Ravens crashed out in the AFC divisional round at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, which Harbaugh has not forgotten about.
"I think you just have to talk to your guys and talk to guys like ‘Ro’, talk to guys like Lamar and come up with a plan," Harbaugh said. "The biggest thing is going to be preparation, just the way they will prepare for that first [playoff] game. That’s it.
"We remember 2019. It’s not something we’re going to forget. … You’re not going to take it for granted. Not that we ever would, but it’s one more thing that makes you who you are at this point in time. We haven’t forgotten that."
The Ravens last squared off with the Steelers in Week 5 when Pittsburgh came away with a 17-10 win.
