Since the Baltimore Ravens clinched the top seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs over the weekend, football fans have wondered how the team would approach Week 18.
Would they rest their starters for their matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers to avoid injury and give them a couple of weeks of rest before the playoffs or would they let their starters play to try and prevent them from being rusty for the playoffs?
Today we learned what they are going to do with the team’s most important player.
During his January 3rd media availability, John Harbaugh announced that the team would be resting Lamar Jackson against the Steelers. Instead, Tyler Huntley will get the start.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>John Harbaugh announced Lamar Jackson will not play in the regular season finale. Tyler Huntley will start. <a href=”https://t.co/JEY46qcvTz”>pic.twitter.com/JEY46qcvTz</a></p>— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) <a href=”https://twitter.com/jamisonhensley/status/1742642194765258897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 3, 2024</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Huntley’s backup for the game will be long-time NFL journeyman Josh Johnson.
Huntley’s History Against The Steelers
This isn’t the first time that the Steelers will face Huntley with a spot in the playoffs on the line.
Back in 2021, Huntley started 3 of the last 4 games of the season because of a Jackson injury. That included a Week 18 matchup against Pittsburgh.
Both teams were fighting for the last spot in the AFC in that game and it was the Steelers that ended up claiming it with a 16-13 win in overtime. Huntley struggled in the matchup, completing just 16 of 31 pass attempts for 141 yards and throwing a pair of interceptions.
In 2022, Huntley ended up finishing the season as the team’s starter again because of another Jackson injury. He started against the Steelers twice the second time around.
With both teams once again in the thick of the playoff hunt, Huntley was able to claim his first win against Pittsburgh in Week 14 by a score of 16-14 despite leaving the game early with an injury of his own.
That season’s rematch came shortly after in Week 17 with the Ravens firmly in the playoffs and the Steelers still fighting for a spot. The matchup was yet another close one between the division, but in the end it was the Steelers prevailing 16-13 to keep their playoff hopes alive.
This year, Huntley will look to bring his record to .500 against the Steelers.
Ravens Have Done This Before
Much like Huntley has been in this position before in Week 18, this situation is familiar for the Ravens organization as a whole and past results could make fans a bit nervous.
Back in 2019, the Ravens locked up the top seed in the AFC early behind an MVP season from Jackson and decided to rest their starters in Week 17. Facing a Steelers team needing to win to keep themselves in the playoff race, the Ravens bench prevailed.
Led by Robert Griffin III at QB, the Ravens took home a 28-10 thanks to a dominant performances from the run game and defense.
2 weeks later, they found themselves up against the Tennessee Titans, who had upset the Patriots a week earlier. The Titans won in Baltimore by a score of 28-12, ending the Ravens’ hopes of a Super Bowl.
There’s no way to know whether their decision to rest players played into the outcome and it’s clear that it hasn’t deterred the organization from handling things the way they think is best.
With a defense that opponents have struggled to decode, more weapons on offense, and a much more experienced Jackson, they’ll be hoping things play out a bit better this time around.
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Baltimore Ravens Announce Official Decision On Lamar Jackson For Week 18