Inching to this conclusion all week, it would be a wild upset if anyone but Tyler Huntley started at QB for the Baltimore Ravens this weekend in a crucial Week 14 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Lamar Jackson battling a PCL sprain, Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Friday that it “looks like” Huntley will get the nod this weekend.
“It looks like it’s going to be Tyler Huntley on Sunday,” Harbaugh shared as shared by the Ravens’ official account.
Huntley replaced an injured Jackson last weekend, going 27/32 but for just 187 yards and no passing touchdowns. However, he rushed for the game-winning score from two yards out on a designed QB run, putting the Ravens over the Broncos 10-9. Jackson has battled injuries over the last two years and his absence is a large reason why the team collapsed down the stretch in 2021, failing to make the playoffs after an 8-4 start. They enter this Sunday with the same 8-4 record.
While Huntley is cut from a similar cloth and the Ravens’ scheme will change very little with him at quarterback, Huntley isn’t the dynamic playmaker Jackson is. He’s a more rhythmic passer focusing on getting the ball out on time while being less likely to drive the football downfield. Jackson is also a huge part of their run game, the team’s leader in attempts, yards, average, while tied for the team lead in touchdowns and accounting more nearly half of the team’s 10+ yard rushes.
Huntley will be making his 5th career start and second against the Steelers. He got the nod in last year’s regular season finale, Pittsburgh winning that game, a must-win in order to capture the AFC’s 7th seed.
The Steelers are slight home favorites this weekend but like any Steelers/Ravens games, it figures to be a close contest.
