Ravens to Rest Lamar Jackson, Start Tyler Huntley vs. Steelers Ahead of NFL Playoffs

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 3, 2024

Michael Owens/Getty Images

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday that the team will sit Lamar Jackson in the regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday and will start Tyler Huntley in his place.

Baltimore Ravens @Ravens”The quarterback for this game will be Tyler, the backup will be Josh.”

Harbs opens his presser with personnel updates for Week 18: pic.twitter.com/gRLTI0hWSz

The news doesn’t come as a major surprise, as the Ravens have already clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs, rendering the matchup with Pittsburgh meaningless for them. Sitting Jackson avoids the possibility of him suffering an injury that would extinguish the team’s championship aspirations.

The game is extremely important for the Steelers and a number of other AFC teams battling for a playoff spot, however. At the moment, the 9-7 Steelers are ninth in the AFC, behind the Buffalo Bills (10-6), Indianapolis Colts (9-7) and Houston Texans (9-7) for the final two postseason berths. The Colts and Texans hold the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head win percentage.

But much can change in Week 18.

A loss against Baltimore all but eliminates the Steelers from postseason consideration. But a Steelers win would mean they could reach the playoffs with either a Bills loss against the Miami Dolphins; a Jacksonville Jaguars loss or tie against the Tennessee Titans; or a tie between the Colts and Texans.

And a tie against Baltimore would mean the Steelers could still get into the playoffs if the Jaguars lose and the Colts and Texans don’t end in a tie.

There is one wild scenario in which the Steelers could lose and still reach the playoffs—a Jacksonville loss, a Denver Broncos victory over the Las Vegas Raiders and the Texans and Colts not ending in a tie. But a victory would lead to far simpler paths to the postseason.

Baltimore fans surely would enjoy nothing more than watching their team eliminate a bitter rival like the Steelers from the playoffs. But prioritizing Jackson’s health over bragging rights make sense for the Ravens, who now have two weeks to get injured players healthy and give veteran players time to rest and recuperate thanks to a Wild Card Round bye.

Avoiding rust is obviously a real concern, given the two-week layoff. But the Ravens should be plenty healthy come the Divisional Round, and Jackson (3,678 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions; 821 rushing yards, five scores) has likely locked up the MVP award already.