Quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the best players in football, and his presence makes the Baltimore Ravens a better football team. That is why they should be relieved and encouraged by Jackson being “good to go” for their AFC North championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
He will not be 100 percent healthy, and he will be wearing extra padding to account for the back injury that held him out of their Week 17 win over the Green Bay Packers, but they would still probably rather have him on the field than backup Tyler Huntley.
There is still one important thing the Ravens have to do after his return, and one big mistake they have to avoid if they are going to have success and win the game.
Lamar Jackson’s return cannot result in Ravens forgetting about Derrick Henry
While the Ravens are better with Jackson in the lineup than Huntley, the latter’s presence in their Week 17 game forced the Ravens to lean on superstar running back Derrick Henry.
His 36 carries in the win were a season-high (and only the third time he topped 24 carries), while he rushed for 216 and four touchdowns in the win. It was a big change for the Ravens after their coaching staff was absolutely crushed the previous week for not using Henry more in a Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots.
As good as Jackson is, and as great as he can be, the Ravens can sometimes become too pass-oriented in games and take Henry out of the equation themselves.
That is not a recipe for success for them. Especially against a Steelers defense that has played extremely well against Jackson throughout his career. In nine regular-season starts against the Steelers, Jackson is just 3-6 and has some of his worst individual numbers against any opponent, including throwing more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine). He also has eight fumbles in those games and managed only a 72.8 passer rating. Just by comparison, his career passer rating is 101.9 when all opponents are taken into account. That is a significant decline against the Steelers.
Add in the fact that Jackson is going to be playing at less than 100 percent and with extra padding as well as his inconsistencies passing the football in recent weeks, and the Ravens cannot make the game about him. Their path to winning is with Henry. They need to lean on him again, just as they did in Week 17 to help put themselves in this winner-take-all, loser-go-home game. If they keep it simple and run their offense through Henry, they have a great chance. If they forget about him again, it could be a problem.