OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — John Harbaugh expressed optimism regarding Lamar Jackson“s potential return after Tyler Huntley led the Baltimore Ravens to a significant victory. Harbaugh gathered coaches and players to watch the Pittsburgh-Cleveland game, which held playoff implications for his team. When the Cleveland Browns secured a win, it kept the Ravens” postseason hopes alive.
“It was uncorked man. It was raucous,” Harbaugh recalled. “It was great. Everybody was jumping around and fired up and happy. A lot of hugging.”
With the Ravens still in contention for the AFC North title, they face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. Baltimore”s path to this moment required a victory over the Green Bay Packers last weekend and a loss by the Steelers, both of which occurred. The Ravens triumphed over the Packers with a score of 41-24, despite Jackson”s absence due to a back injury. Huntley improved his starting record to 2-0 this season, complemented by a standout performance from Derrick Henry, who rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns.
After the Browns” unexpected victory against the Steelers, Harbaugh admitted that he was more of a fan than a coach during the game. “I”m in fan mode to be honest with you,” he stated, mentioning his frustrations with the play calls.
Harbaugh indicated that he would have a clearer picture of Jackson”s status by Wednesday. However, he dismissed any notion that Huntley”s success might affect the decision to reinstate Jackson. “The fact that we have a lot of confidence in Tyler is a real big positive, a real plus, but it doesn”t factor into whether Lamar plays,” he said. “If Lamar”s ready to go, he”s playing.”
Throughout the season, Jackson has missed four games due to hamstring and back injuries. His last appearance was earlier this month when the Ravens lost to the Steelers at home, 27-22. The upcoming rematch will serve as the final game of the NFL regular season, showcasing two teams that have struggled to secure a firm grip on their division.
“It”s a great opportunity. We”ll be playing a division championship game on Sunday,” Harbaugh noted. “We”ve worked hard to get to this position. There”s a lot of different paths in football, and there”s a lot of different paths in life, and this is the path of the 2025 season. So here we are, and our goal is to make the most of it.”
This marks the second consecutive year the Ravens and Steelers will face each other in an elimination game. Last January, the Ravens defeated the Steelers 28-14 in the playoffs.
If Jackson is cleared to play, it will provide him an opportunity to overcome a challenging stretch. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4, and upon his return, the Ravens had a record of 2-5. After winning their first four games post-injury, Jackson faced additional health concerns and has not practiced fully since early November. Losses at home against Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and New England put the Ravens in a precarious position leading up to their game against Green Bay, where Jackson missed the second half against the Patriots. However, Harbaugh reported that Jackson showed improvement with his back injury over the past week. “It was not good at all early in the week, and it improved as the week went on,” he said. “That was cause for optimism.”
