The Baltimore team plays in the last week to qualify for the playoffs against the division rival in Pittsburgh
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The coach of the Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaughstated Monday that “it remains to be seen” if the quarterback Lamar Jackson will be able to play Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelerswhich will define the champion of the AFC North Division.
Lamar Jackson suffered a back contusion on Dec. 21 and did not play in Saturday’s 41-24 win against the Green Bay Packers.
“He’s recovering from a very serious injury and he’s working on it,” Harbaugh said. “I think we’ll know a lot more on Wednesday (when the Ravens return to practice).”
Lamar Jackson was injured after being kneed in the back during the 28-24 loss against the New England Patriots. He didn’t practice last week because of what Harbaugh described as a “painful” injury.
There is hope that the two-time MVP of the NFL can return, since signs of improvement were observed in his back injury.
“At the beginning of the week he wasn’t good at all, and he got better as the week went on,” Harbaugh said. “That was cause for optimism.”
Jackson has led Baltimore to four AFC North Division titles; the Ravens have won the division the last two seasons. But Jackson has dealt with several injuries this season (hamstring, knee, ankle, toe and back), resulting in one of the most difficult seasons of his eight-year career.
In 12 starts this season, Jackson has a 6-6 record and has thrown for 192.6 yards per game, which ranks 24th among quarterbacks with at least 10 games played. His 340 rushing yards are the lowest of his career.
Replacing Jackson, Tyler Huntley has won both of his games as a starter this season, beating two playoff teams: the Chicago Bears and the Packers. In those games, Huntley has completed 78.6% of his passes (33 of 42) for 293 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has also rushed for 113 yards in those games.
“I think the fact that we have a lot of confidence in Tyler is a big advantage, but it has no bearing on whether Lamar plays or not,” Harbaugh said. “If Lamar is ready to play, he will play. That’s for sure.”
This is the first time that the Ravens (8-8) and the Steelers (9-7) meet in the final week of the regular season for the AFC North Division title. The winning team clinches fourth place in the AFC, which means playing the wild card game at home. The season ends for the losing team.
When asked if this game could serve as a “referendum” on the continuity in the position of the coach of the Steelers, Mike Tomlinand his own, Harbaugh responded: “There’s always pressure, but I think it was Billie Jean King who said, ‘pressure is a privilege,’ right? It’s something you earn. So we think there’s a lot of value in being in games like this. And if you talk about those things, that’s fine. That’s a privilege, too.”
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