Lamar Jackson Not Guaranteed to Play in Ravens Finale

With some miracle, the Baltimore Ravens' season is still alive after they beat the Green Bay Packers, and the Cleveland Browns did them a solid with a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17.

The Ravens were able to pull off the win over Green Bay without their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, who was out with a back injury and was replaced by Tyler Huntley. Everyone is wondering what Jackson's status will be for the season finale against the Steelers, and ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio gave the update on what it looks like for Jackson.

“I’m told, right now, it’s a shade under 50/50 as to whether he’ll be available for the showdown next weekend in Pittsburgh,” Florio said on NBC’s Football Night in America via SteelersNow.

Lamar Jackson's status is up in the air against Steelers

This is a scary thought for Ravens fans to not know Jackson's status after a long season for him. Injuries have plagued Jackson to the point that he has missed time with a hamstring injury at the beginning of the year, and now with a back injury.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Huntley has performed well, though, in both of his starts in place of Jackson. The Ravens are 2-0 with Huntley as the starter, as he has thrown two touchdowns with zero turnovers in those contests.

It could be argued that the Ravens have actually looked better offensively with Huntley versus Jackson, as Baltimore has scored 71 points in two games with Huntley running the offense. Those are impressive numbers for a backup quarterback taking over for a former NFL MVP.

This is not going to be easy, as Huntley adds a different dynamic to the offense that has been missing when Jackson has been the quarterback. There is more of a threat of Huntley running the football versus Jackson, who has stayed in the pocket more to protect the hamstring injury he had earlier in the season.

Regardless of who starts, the Ravens showed that giving the ball to running back Derrick Henry is the right strategy to go about with the offense after over 200 yards and four touchdowns against the Packers. As long as Henry gets his touches, the Ravens can win any game.

The Ravens are going to have a tough decision on their hands this week about whether to take a risk with Jackson and let him start, despite possibly not being 100% healthy. Or will they roll with Huntley as the start after two impressive starts to the season?

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!