Lamar Jackson won't play again until the playoffs.
Head Coach John Harbaugh announced Wednesday that Jackson will be inactive for Saturday's regular-season finale against the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Tyler Huntley will start.
The Ravens (13-3) have the NFL's best record and have already clinched the AFC North, the No. 1 seed, and a first-round bye.
"I'm cool with it. Me and Coach talked about it," Jackson said. "I felt like it was best suitable to sit me."
It will be the sixth game against the Steelers that Jackson has missed since he became the full-time starter in 2019 due to different circumstances. He also sat out the 2019 regular-season finale against the Steelers when the Ravens had already clinched a bye. Jackson was asked whether there was an extra motivation to play against the Steelers, who need a win to have a chance of making the playoffs.
"I believe Snoop will get the job done," Jackson said. "We have guys that can go out there and ball out."
Jackson has played every game this season and is the favorite to win his second Most Valuable Player award. He is finishing the season healthy for the first time in three years and will continue to focus on the only trophy he covets – the Lombardi Trophy.
Jackson will end the regular season with career bests in completions (307), completion percentage (67.2) and passing yards (3,678), while also rushing for 821 yards. He has been on fire during Baltimore's current six-game winning streak, throwing for 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions during that span with a 109.8 quarterback rating.
His best performance of the season came last weekend against the Dolphins when he threw a season-high five touchdown passes (18-of-21, 321 yards) and had a perfect passer rating (158.3) during a 56-19 victory. Jackson said he was grateful to be playing down the stretch, after injuries to his ankle (2021) and knee (2022) kept him from finishing the last two years.
"I should have started the presser off by thanking God," Jackson said following Sunday's game. "The last two seasons, I wasn't able to fight with my team. I had to do it from the sideline and just cheer guys on, but I'm grateful for the opportunity and that we're the No 1. seed now. We just have to finish this season how we're supposed to."
