The Ravens have nothing to play for in Week 18.
They clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with Sunday’s victory over the Dolphins.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he has not decided whether quarterback Lamar Jackson, the MVP favorite, and other key starters will play Saturday against the Steelers.
“I have not made any decisions on personnel yet,” Harbaugh said, via video from the team. “We’ve got to kind of work through the injury part of it first. That’ll take us probaly 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.”
The Ravens will have to consider the week off they get as a reward for being having the best record in the AFC. If Jackson and/or other starters don’t play Saturday, they will go three weeks between games.
Jackson did not play in the regular-season finale in 2019, and the Ravens lost to the Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs two weeks later.
“We did our best [in 2019],” Harbaugh said, via Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun. “The decisions we made, we made for the right reasons.
“You’ve got to look at everything from the framework of today — this team and what we’re facing.”
