The Baltimore Ravens have secured just about everything in the AFC playoff picture, including home-field advantage.
Now their starters will get some rest, too.
In his weekly Monday news conference, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced that quarterback and most valuable player front-runner Lamar Jackson and other key starters will be held out of Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Backup quarterback Robert Griffin III will start for Baltimore, marking his first such opportunity since Week 17 of the 2016 season, when he played for the Cleveland Browns.
Guard Marshal Yanda, running back Mark Ingram – who suffered a calf injury in Sunday’s 31-15 victory against the Browns – safety Earl Thomas, and defensive tackle Brandon Williams are among the starters who also will sit.
“What we’re going to do is we’re not going to play certain guys in this game,” Harbaugh said Monday. “We won’t play Lamar. Marshal won’t play. Earl won’t play. Brandon Williams won’t play. After that, we’ll still decide as the week goes on. I think it’s really important is that this is pro football, not college football. You can’t sit your starters in a game. That’s not how it works. You have up to seven options, if you’re completely healthy. We don’t know exactly if we’ll be completely healthy or not. We’re very healthy, so that bodes well.”
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The Ravens are 13-2 and have locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the first time in franchise history.
That also means that Jackson will now have two full weeks of rest before the Ravens host the lower seed that advances to the divisional round in the AFC playoffs.
Jackson has completed 66.1 % of his passes for 3,127 yards with 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He has also rushed 176 times for 1,206 yards and seven rushing scores.
“This is going to be a good opportunity for some guys to play who have been inactive, so that’s a big plus for us,” Harbaugh said. “Give some guys some experience. We’ll just roll with it, but our attention will be and our plan will be all hands on deck to win the game with all those guys who will be playing. They’re all on the 53-man roster and they’ll be excited to play. We’ll be excited to play. It’s a rivalry game against the Steelers. They have everything to play for. We recognize that, and we’ll be looking to put our absolute best foot forward with the guys that we will be playing with, which will be – for the most part – most of our football team, with a few exceptions.”
The Ravens' decision could mean good news for the Steelers, who need to win Sunday and for the Houston Texans to beat the Tennessee Titans to sneak into the final playoff spot in the conference.
Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.
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December 24, 2019 at 03:19AM
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Ravens to sit Lamar Jackson, key starters for season finale vs. Steelers - USA TODAY
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