The Baltimore Ravens wrapped up the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye with their blowout win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
As a result, their Week 18 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers has no bearing on their postseason standing. If John Harbaugh chooses, it could provide an opportunity to rest star quarterback Lamar Jackson, the current MVP favorite.
As of Monday, Harbaugh told reporters he has not decided on whether Jackson, or any of Baltimore’s regulars, will play or sit this Sunday.
“I have not made any decisions on personnel yet,” Harbaugh said. “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.”
Lamar Jackson in Week 17:
▪️ 3 incompletions
▪️ 5 TD passes
▪️ 95.0 PFF Grade (1st among all players) pic.twitter.com/GGNIgTIWBp— PFF (@PFF) January 1, 2024
On one hand, sitting Jackson or other starters ensures they won’t get hurt in a game that doesn’t impact the Ravens at all.
On the other hand, the Steelers need to win in order to have a chance to make the playoffs, so the game has meaning. Also, because Baltimore has a bye in the wild card round, their regulars would be sitting out consecutive weeks before going to play a postseason game.
We’ll see what Harbaugh decides.