ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 12:03 AM Posted yesterday at 12:03 AM The Ravens visit the Steelers on Sunday night with a division title and playoff berth on the line. Baltimore will make the trip with starting quarterback Lamar Jackson likely returning to the field. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Award winner sat out a Week 17 win vs. the Packers with a back injury suffered in Week 16 against the Patriots. He was at practice Wednesday, a great sign for his Sunday availability. If Jackson suffers a setback and can’t play, Tyler “Snoop” Huntley will get the nod. He led the Ravens to victories over a pair of playoff teams this season, beating the Bears and Packers. Baltimore leaned heavily on running back Derrick Henry a week ago, giving him 36 carries as Huntley was tasked with managing the game rather than stretching the field with his arm. Ahead of the crucial matchup, NFL pundits weighed in on Jackson’s health and how the Ravens should attack the Steelers. Here’s a sampling of what they said: Dan Orlovsky, ESPN “With all due respect and admiration of Lamar Jackson — he’s unbelievable — they don’t need Lamar to win this football game,” Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback turned analyst, said. “If they give it to Derrick 35 times, they should win. And honestly, if they don’t, they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.” The Steelers will be somewhat shorthanded, especially offensively. Pittsburgh won’t have suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf, who caught seven passes for 148 yards against the Ravens on Dec. 7. The Steelers will also be without injured tight end Darnell Washington, who had surgery on a broken arm this week. In Orlovsky’s eyes, Baltimore has the clear edge. Devin McCourty, NBC Sports A former NFL defensive back, McCourty won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. He’s of the belief the Ravens should focus on running the football with Henry regardless of Jackson’s return. His thoughts echo Orlovsky’s. “I think this is a 40-touch game for Derrick Henry that, like, if I was a coach, I would rather go down handing Derrick Henry the ball, not knowing exactly, how healthy we’re going to have Lamar or anything like that,” he said. “Or if Lamar is going to be able to practice all week, I would rather come in and say, ‘Hey guys, no matter what we’re handing him the ball, Lamar, if you’re healthy, we’ll sprinkle in, you know, maybe two quarterback designed runs to free it up. Get down if you have to. If Snoop Huntley, you’re in there, maybe we go 5-8 quarterback designed runs.’ I just think it all should be based around the run game and Derrick Henry, no matter what.” Henry’s 36 rushes against the Packers set a career high for the veteran running back. In a loss to the Steelers earlier this season, Henry rushed 25 times for 94 yards. He also caught one pass for 8 yards. No running back has carried the ball 40 times in 2025, but McCourty supports Baltimore trying it Sunday night. Chris Simms, NBC Sports Count Simms, a former NFL quarterback, among those not putting too much stock into Jackson’s health. Like others, he feels the Ravens can control Sunday’s game on the ground and won’t need anything transcendent from the quarterback position. “We know we want Lamar, but it’s not going to dictate what I think of this game a whole lot if Tyler Huntley is the starting quarterback,” he said. Marcus Spears, ESPN Spears interrupted Scott Van Pelt on Monday when Van Pelt hinted that the Ravens could be best prepared to beat the Steelers with a healthy Huntley instead of a banged up Jackson. Spears, who played for the Ravens in 2013, wasn’t having it. The former defensive lineman doesn’t want to hear any of the recent criticism of Baltimore’s star quarterback. “I am not going to listen to it,” he said as part of a lengthy rant. “This team has won every season because of him. They have been in the playoffs, AFC championship games. They made runs. This has been one of the best offensive football teams the last five years in the NFL, and we got one season where the dude been beat up. And I don’t give a [dang] if you don’t like how he come to the building, your [butt] wasn’t talking about that when he was out there winning MVPs and putting the team on his back when everybody else was injured.” Spears went on to place blame on others within the organization for some of the Ravens’ shortcomings. “I remember Todd Monken not running the football in the AFC championship game,” Spears added. “I remember Derrick Henry, just a week ago, not getting a touch in the [fourth quarter of a football game] that they possibly could have won if they would have ran the football. But Lamar Jackson’s the problem?” Dan Graziano, ESPN The NFL insider spoke about how both Baltimore’s John Harbaugh and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin could be on the hot seat entering Sunday’s game. It’s possible, albeit far from a guarantee, that the losing coach could be fired for missing the postseason. Graziano thinks that’d be an unnecessary risk. “John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin want to win a Super Bowl much worse than their fans do. That’s a fact,” he said. “They live, eat sleep and breathe it … I would caution the fans of these teams. Be careful what you wish for because you see these teams that go through coaches every two or three years and constantly picking in the top five and not having these conversations.” Chris Broussard, FOX Sports Broussard, who is open about being a Ravens fan, is optimistic about the Ravens going into January. “I don’t just believe about them beating the Steelers,” Broussard said. “I do believe they have a run in them. Oh, do they have a run in them. If I see Lamar Jackson out there playing at 85%, then watch out.” Oddsmakers don’t have the same belief as Broussard. The Ravens hold the 12th shortest Super Bowl odds of any team at +2000 on FanDuel. Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports Radio The radio host suggested he’d be in favor of trading Jackson following the season. “If I could get out from under Lamar’s $74 million potential cap hit next year, I would strongly consider it,” Cowherd said. “Why would it have to be ugly? … I like Lamar. I’m a Lamar fan. When he came out of college I’m like, ‘I’m not sure if that’s going to work.’ I didn’t think he was going to be a wide receiver, but he ran a lot, and I thought, ‘That may work against Clemson. I’m not sure that’s going to work in the NFL.’ Then after about his fifth start I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s going to work big time in the NFL.'” Cowherd emphasized that if the Ravens and Jackson eventually part ways, there should only be mutual feelings of admiration. Baltimore hasn’t won a Super Bowl with Jackson, but they’ve been one of the NFL’s most consistent and successful teams during his tenure. He suggests a change of scenery could benefit both sides. Regardless of what happens Sunday, it’s clear Jackson’s legacy and future in Baltimore will be a key discussion point in the aftermath of the AFC North clash. Have a news tip? Contact Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. .@mspears96 isn't happy with the notion that the Ravens would be better against the Steelers without Lamar Jackson pic.twitter.com/AIXxW0iQM2 — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2025 View the full article Quote
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