The Ravens will have another short week to close out the regular season.
Baltimore and Pittsburgh will play Saturday at 4:30 PM ET at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 18.
The Ravens had a short week last week after playing on “Monday Night Football” in San Francisco, in addition to having to fly back across the country. Now they will have one less rest day before the end.
The game has much lower stakes for the Ravens now that they have clinched the AFC North title and the No. 1 seed entering the playoffs. They already have a first-round playoff spot guaranteed regardless.
However, the Steelers are 9-7 and fighting for a playoff spot with the Texans, Colts, Bills, and Jaguars. Pittsburgh is in the playoffs with a win at Baltimore, plus a Jaguars or Bills loss.
The Ravens will undoubtedly rest some players for the final game, but how many remains to be seen. Head coach John Harbaugh said he'll find out this week, and the shorter shift will likely be another factor in his decision.
Harbaugh said he will talk to Lamar Jackson about whether or not he should play.
“I'm sure he'll want to play,” Harbaugh said. “But we'll have to talk about it and decide what we want to do.”
“You can only take six players out of the equation. There will be injuries anyway, so it's not like preseason. You play with your team minus who you end up cutting. We'll have to have the conversation. We haven't made any decision there yet.”
The Ravens entered Sunday's game against the Dolphins already struggling and missing three key players in safety Kyle Hamilton (knee), guard Kevin Zeitler (knee/quad), and cornerback Brandon Stevens (ankle).
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) left the game in the first half and did not return, and defensive back Michael Pierce and defensive back Darrell Worley also exited the game to be evaluated for head injuries.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”