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Lamar Jackson, quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, has had a down year in comparison to his typical NFL season.
The 2019 NFL MVP has faced several nagging injuries during his short career, but it's the most recent injury that has kept him on the shelf for a significant portion of this season.
With a chance to still make the playoffs, will Lamar Jackson suit up later today against the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Lamar Jackson has been ruled out for today's game against the Steelers
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has made it clear that Lamar Jackson will not play today and backup quarterback Tyler Huntley will once again get the start when they play division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lamar Jackson injured his ankle in a Week 14 loss to the Cleveland Browns and has yet to take the field since then.
He was unable to practice this week, which is typically a precursor to a player's status for an upcoming game.
How can the Ravens still make the playoffs?
The Baltimore Ravens still have an outside chance of making the playoffs without Lamar Jackson and it starts with defeating Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The game has been widely rumored to be the last for the Steelers' signal-caller, so the Ravens must be prepared to face a division rival with an added incentive to win today.
For Baltimore to sneak into the AFC playoffs, here's what needs to happen:
- Baltimore Ravens defeat the Steelers
- New England Patriots defeat the Miami Dolphins
- Las Vegas Raiders need to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers
- Jacksonville Jaguars defeat the Indianapolis Colts
If all these scenarios occur, the Baltimore Ravens would enter the AFC playoffs as the number seven seed and set up a meeting with the conference's second seed in a wild-card matchup. Should this be the case then perhaps Lamar Jackson would be able to make his return for the playoffs.
Will this happen? It's highly unlikely that each of these scenarios will occur but it is not outside of the realm of possibility. However, it all starts with the Ravens defeating the Steelers today.
The AFC North rivals have a long, bitter history that includes some of the best players the NFL has ever seen. Many of their battles have included names such as Jerome Bettis, Troy Polamalu, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed (to name just a few).
Even the great Terrell Suggs, formerly of the Ravens, tweeted a photo with his rival a few years ago and paid respect to the quarterback.
Another of those legendary names is Ben Roethlisberger, who may possibly be playing in his final NFL game. Big Ben is in his 18th season as the quarterback for the Steelers and will certainly be missed. Well, at least not so much by Baltimore Ravens fans and players.
