OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With the Ravens receiving a final chance to make the playoffs in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, it remains unclear whether two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson will be available.
A day after Cleveland’s upset win over the Steelers kept Baltimore’s postseason hopes alive and set up a winner-take-all AFC North championship game for Week 18, head coach John Harbaugh said Jackson’s “very serious” back contusion was feeling better by the end of last week, but that wasn’t enough for him to be able to play in Saturday’s 41-24 win over Green Bay. Jackson was officially designated as doubtful on the final injury report before missing his fourth game of the season.
“It’s to be determined. He is coming off of a very serious injury, and he’s working at it,” said Harbaugh about Jackson’s status. “I saw him in here [Monday] working at it. I think we’ll know a lot more on Wednesday.”
While the Ravens left open the possibility of Jackson playing against the Packers despite not being able to practice all last week, the assumption is that the eighth-year quarterback will need to log at least some on-field work to have a chance to play against the Steelers. Dealing with a number of lower-body injuries throughout the season, Jackson hasn’t logged a full week of practice since the days leading up to the Week 10 win at Minnesota. He missed three games earlier this season after a hamstring injury sustained in Week 4.
The strong performance by backup Tyler Huntley against the Packers has prompted some to question whether Baltimore would be better off sticking with him over a diminished version of Jackson, but Harbaugh said there’s no choice to be made if his franchise quarterback is healthy enough to return against Pittsburgh.
“I think the fact that we have a lot of confidence in Tyler is a real big positive and a real plus, but it doesn’t factor into whether Lamar plays,” Harbaugh said. “If Lamar’s ready to go, he’s playing. That’s it for sure.”
Huntley went 16-for-20 for 107 yards and a touchdown as a passer and ran for 60 yards on eight carries in Saturday’s win.
