Ravens’ John Harbaugh tight-lipped about Lamar Jackson’s availability – Baltimore Ravens Blog

OWINGS Mills, Md. — Baltimore Crows Coach John Harbaugh spoke briefly on Monday about quarterback availability lamar Jackson for Sunday night’s match with Pittsburgh Steelworker (8:20 p.m., ET, NBC).

Jackson has been sidelined since injuring his knee on December 4, and Baltimore has scored two goals in three weeks without him.

When asked if he expected Jackson to practice this week, Harbaugh said, “We’ll have to see.”

After Baltimore won a playoff spot with a 17-9 victory last Sunday Atlanta Falcon, the biggest question becomes the date of Jackson’s return. He sprained his PCL, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which is an injury that takes most players one to three weeks to recover from.

Last season, Jackson injured his ankle in Week 14 (December 12) and missed the final four games of the season. This year, Jackson was injured in Week 13 and was initially listed by Harbaugh as “week after week”.

When asked Monday if he still believes Jackson will return this season, Harbaugh said, “Of course he does.”

It’s not certain Jackson will start against the Steelers even if he returns to training this week. The Ravens and Jackson will have to assess how he looks and feels once he returns to the field.

Jackson’s style of play relies heavily on his mobility and this type of injury can limit his effectiveness more than a pure back passer. In the first 11 weeks of the season, Jackson ran 755 yards (the 12th most in the NFL at the time) and averaged 6.8 yards per dash (third best in the league).

Team Raven can use Jackson to return now to help them chase the AFC North title and a home game in the knockout stages. But Baltimore also knew they needed Jackson to be as healthy as possible to have the best chance of winning the championship.

Here’s Raven’s ranking with Jackson absent for three games:

• 30th in points (12.0 points per game)

• 21st in total yards (310.7)

• 31st pass (111,7)

• 32nd in the red area (22.2% efficiency)

Crows run back Gus Edwards, who ran 99 yards on Saturday, said the entire foul was committed in that game with a “must” attitude. Baltimore made 32 of 51 strikes (63%).

Raven Midfielder Tyler Huntley was 9/17 for 115 yards and had one touchdown. This tied for the fewest finishes in the Baltimore win in the 15-year Harbaugh era.

“With a great player like Lamar and what he brings to the NFL, that’s been missed on the field,” Huntley said. “We just tried to win 1-0 at the weekend. We keep munching on it every week.”

The Ravens (10-5) can claim their first AFC North title in three years by winning their last two games: at home against the Steelers and against the Bengals.