Steelers Now
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday that he’s “very optimistic” that two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson (back) will play in Sunday night’s pivotal win-or-go-home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
“He looked good,” Harbaugh said. “I’m very optimistic. We’ll see how it plays out the rest of the week.”
On Thursday, Jackson made it clear that he will play on Sunday night.
“Yeah, 100 percent. I’m gonna be out there,” Jackson said.
Jackson, who missed last Saturday night’s game against the the Green Bay Packers with a back contusion that he suffered in Week 16 against New England, was a full participant at Wednesday and Thursday’s practice.
Jackson said he plans to play with a flak jacket on Sunday night. He’s worn something like it before as a rookie, but he stopped. He doesn’t expect the equipment to get in the way of his performance.
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said this is the closest that Jackson will be at full strength in a couple months. Jackson’s on track for a full week of practice for the first time since early November.
“Nothing like having your quarterback out there every day,” Monken said.
"I'm gonna be out there." @Lj_era8 on Sunday's game: pic.twitter.com/MlihiTigxa
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 1, 2026
Jackson disputed a report by the Baltimore Sun that he’s fallen asleep at meetings and he doesn’t want to be with the Ravens anymore.
“I’ve never quit on my team. I don’t know where that talk comes from,” Jackson said.
“Do you think Harbaugh would let me fall asleep in meetings? I sit right in front,” Jackson added.
Jackson said he absolutely wants to be in Baltimore. The contract talk will come, but now is not the time. The Ravens need to focus on winning.
“I don’t care about the criticism. I just want to win,” Jackson said.
The Ravens could become the fifth team in NFL history to make the playoffs after starting a season 1-5. Head coach John Harbaugh loves the fight that his team has displayed through all the adversity.
“I think this team has a lot of character, a lot of grit, a lot of toughness,” Harbaugh said.
In the grand scheme of things, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin thinks the Ravens’ offensive philosophy doesn’t change much whether it’s Jackson or Huntley under center.
Either way, the Ravens are at their best when they heavily rely on running back Derrick Henry, who is coming off a career-high 36 carries for 216 yards and four touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.
“I think there’s certainly some things that are exclusive to Lamar, and that’s not taking anything away from Huntley. It’s just certain things that are Lamar and no other human on the planet,” Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference. “But largely, I think they play to a certain personality, regardless of who is at quarterback. I think that was on display a week ago. I...
