The Baltimore Ravens secured a playoff spot with a victory over the Falcons in Week 16, even though their star quarterback Lamar Jackson has been sidelined with a knee injury for the past few games.
Updates on Lamar Jackson’ knee injury
Jackson’s status for Week 17 was not made clear by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh until later in the day on Monday: “We’ll just have to see.”
Coach Harbaugh asked about QB Lamar Jackson and if he will practice this week. pic.twitter.com/IVCdjqHdsW
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 26, 2022
John Harbaugh’s stance on Lamar Jackson’s injury return is due to the fact that the Ravens still have a lot riding on their performance in the playoffs.
In the battle for the AFC North championship, they are lagging the Cincinnati Bengals. Going on the road for the playoffs would be far preferable to obtaining home-field advantage in the first round.
Even so, the Ravens can at least sigh with relief now that they have secured a playoff spot. The injury bug decimated their entire roster last season, including Lamar Jackson. They came close to making the playoffs but ultimately fell short. After almost ten years, they now have a chance to return to the Super Bowl.
The team’s star quarterback turned down a contract extension, so he will be a free agent after this campaign. If Baltimore doesn’t give Jackson the Brinks truck, there’s a real possibility that he leaves for another team, and this might be the Ravens’ last opportunity to win with Lamar Jackson.
But for the time being, Jackson and the Ravens are only concerned with winning the entire game. We’ll watch to see if the quarterback is able to play against the Steelers in Week 17.
