Should Ravens sit starters in Week 18? What John Harbaugh said about similarities between this team and 2019

The Baltimore Ravens locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The road to the Super Bowl goes through Baltimore, so the Ravens have nothing to play for when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18. 

There’s plenty of incentive for Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to rest his starters. He’s not going to hide it when he makes that decision, but as of Tuesday, it’s still up in the air.

“We have to work through the injury part of it first. That’ll take us probably 24-48 hours to get a real handle on that, and then we’ll make those decisions on that,” Harbaugh said to reporters Monday, via a team transcript. “We’re not going to keep it a secret. We’ll let you know what we’re going to do once we start practicing.”

The last time the Ravens had the No. 1 seed was in the 2019 season, when Baltimore finished 14-2 and won 12 straight heading into the postseason. Lamar Jackson won the MVP and the Ravens clinched home-field advantage before the final week of the season, as Harbaugh did rest his starters.

The Ravens lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Tennessee Titans, despite having home-field advantage. That was also when the NFL had two teams earning a bye and the 12-team playoff format. There’s a 14-team format now and the Ravens are the only team with a bye — the perk of being the No. 1 seed in the conference. 

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/should-ravens-sit-starters-in-week-18-what-john-harbaugh-said-about-similarities-between-this-team-and-2019/

Author : Jeff Kerr

Publish date : 2024-01-02 16:15:30

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