Will Lamar Jackson play vs Steelers? Ravens QB's status explored for Week 18

Lamar Jackson, the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, will be rested for their last regular-season matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.

"We're going to start Tyler Huntley as quarterback for the Pittsburgh game, with Josh Johnson serving as his backup. There's simply not much to discuss beyond that," head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday.

Given that the Ravens have already guaranteed the top seed in the AFC for the playoffs, it makes sense that they will sit their starting quarterback in this essentially meaningless game.

Harbaugh is allowing Jackson to have an extra week to rest so he will be at 100% when the Ravens play in the next round of the playoffs, even though they already have a bye in the first round.

There are other starting quarterbacks around the league besides Jackson who won't be starting this weekend. When the playoff-bound San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams play on Sunday, they will also start their QB2. Joe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs will both be rested as well.

Since Huntley is set to hit free agency this offseason, he will have the opportunity to impress his future employers in that Week 18 contest. Although he has had difficulty versus the Steelers in the past, he has also performed fairly admirably when asked to step in for Lamar Jackson in some games.

Now, Huntley will have another opportunity to shine against the Steelers, a team that must win to have any chance of making the playoffs. For the third consecutive week, Pittsburgh's quarterback Mason Rudolph will start under center as the team attempts to preserve its postseason hopes.

Is Lamar Jackson the favorite to win the NFL MVP?

As of right now, Lamar Jackson is an overwhelming favorite to win the NFL MVP prize, all but guaranteeing him a second MVP crown in the last five NFL seasons. Right now, it almost seems like a no-brainer because the odds are so much on his side.

Jackson's outstanding performance combined with the Ravens' superiority make it nearly impossible for any other player to win the award. His MVP frontrunner status was further cemented when the talented quarterback recently played his best game of the year, crushing the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.

A fan holds up an MVP sign supporting quarterback Lamar Jackson

Furthermore, Jackson's prospects of earning the award are unaffected by missing Week 18. Three other potential MVP candidates — Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy — are likewise not participating this weekend.

Lamar Jackson has thrown for 24 touchdowns and 3,678 yards while also having seven interceptions. He has accumulated 148 rushes for 821 yards and five touchdowns while completing 67.2% of his passes.