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With Pro Bowl backmost Lamar Jackson again sidelined, backup Tyler Huntley volition commencement the Ravens’ must-win regular-season finale Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, manager John Harbaugh announced Friday.
Huntley’s 4th vocation commencement volition beryllium the astir important of his young career. Amid a five-game losing streak, the Ravens (8-8) request a triumph implicit the Steelers (8-7-1) successful Baltimore and wins by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots on Sunday to marque their 4th consecutive postseason appearance. They participate the play with conscionable 2% playoff odds, according to FiveThirtyEight’s projections.
Jackson was ruled retired of Sunday’s crippled aft not practicing this week. He has not appeared successful a crippled since Dec. 12, erstwhile helium was carted disconnected the tract successful a Week 14 nonaccomplishment to the Cleveland Browns. The 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player has practiced conscionable erstwhile successful that span, erstwhile helium limped done a Dec. 29 workout arsenic the Ravens prepared for Sunday’s crippled against the Los Angeles Rams.
Jackson, who ne'er missed a crippled due to the fact that of wounded earlier this season, volition present apt extremity the twelvemonth having missed 4 successful a row. An unwellness besides sidelined him successful Week 11, erstwhile Huntley made his archetypal vocation commencement successful a triumph implicit the Chicago Bears.
“He wants to beryllium retired determination each time,” Huntley said Friday of Jackson, whose passer standing (87.0) and QBR (50.3) this play correspond his worst marks since his rookie year. “Being successful the locker room, it’s truthful hard to not spot him going retired determination and being great, however helium usually is. … I can’t hold for ‘L’ to consciousness better.”
Harbaugh declined to remark connected the team’s injuries this week. Asked Wednesday astir Jackson’s timetable to return, helium said: “I truly don’t adjacent spot the worth of talking astir it astatine this constituent successful time.”
Huntley, who’s 1-2 arsenic a starter, had ne'er been named a starter earlier a crippled until Friday. Jackson was listed arsenic questionable connected the team’s 3 erstwhile wounded reports and was inactive for each 3 games.
In six games this season, Huntley has completed 67.5% of his passes for 940 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions and added 35 carries for 222 yards and 2 scores. This week, he’s coming disconnected 1 of the toughest stretches of his young career. After missing the Ravens’ Week 16 blowout nonaccomplishment to the Cincinnati Bengals with a coronavirus infection, helium wasn’t cleared to signifier until 3 days earlier Sunday’s crippled against the Rams.
Huntley said Friday that helium was “still feeling it successful my chest” days aft helium tested antagonistic for the virus. Against a talented Rams defense, helium finished 20-for-32 for 197 yards an an interception; his 66.8 passer standing was the lowest of his 3 starts. The Ravens didn’t people an violative touchdown successful the 20-19 nonaccomplishment for the archetypal clip October 2018.
“It’s similar a small kid learning however to draw,” Huntley said Friday of his in-game experience. “The archetypal clip you draw, it looks crazy. Then you get a small better. You get an existent benignant of picture. And then, arsenic they support going, they adhd immoderate colour to it, and it starts looking similar a real-deal picture. So it’s just, the much reps, the much acquisition [you get] and the amended you play.”
With a beardown show Sunday, Huntley could nonstop longtime Ravens nemesis Ben Roethlisberger into status with a loss. The 39-year-old Steelers backmost is approaching what’s expected to beryllium his 249th and last NFL game. Roethlisberger has won his past 4 starts against the Ravens, and successful a Week 13 triumph successful Pittsburgh, helium went 21-for-31 for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the go-ahead score.
Huntley called it a “great accomplishment conscionable to beryllium considered” portion of the AFC North rivalry. He was conscionable 6 years aged erstwhile Roethlisberger, successful December 2004, made his archetypal vocation commencement against the Ravens, and helium has arsenic galore vocation starts arsenic Roethlisberger has Super Bowl appearances (three).
“Tyler is preparing precise hard,” violative coordinator Greg Roman said Thursday. “I deliberation helium has a truly bully focus, week successful and week out. The things that happen, he’s seeing a batch of things for the archetypal time. You’re talking astir a feline who went to Chicago, didn’t cognize helium was playing until a mates hours earlier the crippled and led a two-minute thrust to triumph that crippled connected the road.
“[He] went toe-to-toe with Aaron Rodgers [in Week 15] — that was 1 play distant — and toe-to-toe with different seasoned backmost [Matthew Stafford] past week. I deliberation he’s affording himself truly well. That’s a reflection of his preparation. I truly similar however focused helium is. There are precocious standards that he’s truly pushing to amended each the time. So I truly emotion his enactment ethic.”
Ravens cornerback Anthony Averett, who hasn’t practiced since suffering a ribs/chest wounded successful Week 16, was ruled retired on with Jackson. Averett’s 2nd consecutive lack means the Ravens volition again beryllium without their apical 3 extracurricular cornerbacks — Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters were already connected injured reserve — against Roethlisberger and wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who was activated disconnected the reserve/COVID-19 database Friday. Johnson, who leads the Steelers with 1,100 receiving yards, had a season-high 105 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Ravens successful Week 13.
Ravens rookie extracurricular linebacker Odafe Oweh (foot), who besides hasn’t practiced the past 2 weeks, is doubtful. Guards Ben Powers (foot) and Ben Cleveland (head) are some questionable. They were estimated to beryllium constricted participants successful Friday’s walk-through, leaving the team’s backup program astatine near defender uncertain. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay (ankle/knee) was estimated to beryllium a afloat subordinate but is considered questionable.
Wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (ankle) and close tackle Patrick Mekari (hand) are expected to play Sunday aft not being listed connected the wounded report. Brown missed Thursday’s practice, portion Mekari was limited. Despite the team’s wounded situation, Harbaugh called the Ravens’ week of signifier “one of our best” this season.
“The guys person been tremendous,” Harbaugh said. “They’ve been fast, been connected point. The timing has been fantabulous — some sides of the shot and peculiar teams. They’ve been large to enactment with each week, conscionable similar each year. [It’s been] arsenic bully oregon amended than we person been each year. So, yes, I consciousness large astir the week.”
In Pittsburgh, the Steelers ruled retired starting chemoreceptor tackle Isaiah Buggs (illness) and reserve wrong linebacker Buddy Johnson (foot). Starting near tackle Dan Moore Jr. (ankle) is doubtful aft not practicing each week.
This communicative volition beryllium updated.
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