Mink: If Lamar Jackson is healthy enough to play, he will be the Ravens' starter. Head Coach John Harbaugh made that very clear on Monday.
Tyler Huntley certainly deserves a lot of praise for the way he played in two victories this season against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. But Jackson is the Ravens' franchise quarterback.
This season hasn't been as smooth as last year for Jackson, but he seemed to be back to MVP form before suffering his back contusion against the New England Patriots. He gives the Ravens the best chance to win.
I expect the Ravens to deploy a heavy ground-and-pound attack regardless of who is under center. But if Derrick Henry and the run game struggle against the Steelers, who will almost certainly sell out to stop the run, then the Ravens may be forced to pivot during the game. Jackson's abilities as a passer would certainly help Baltimore in that scenario.
Don't overthink this. Yes, "Snoop" has been great. But this is Lamar Jackson we're talking about. If he can play, he plays.
Mink: No, I don't think they would use Snoop in combination with Jackson. If they were going to use the Wildcat formation, they would do it with Henry.
We'll see how mobile Jackson is with his back contusion, but if healthy, he's a faster and more dynamic runner than Huntley. Thus, I don't expect the Ravens to take the ball out of his hands.
Brown: Washington wasn't on the injury report during the week leading up to the Green Bay game. If he's dealing with something, I'm not aware of it.
He has not played more than 29.7% of the defensive snaps in three games since his remarkable return from Achilles surgery. But as you noted, Washington had a reduced role in Green Bay. He saw a season-low 14.9% of the defensive snaps, and yes, the Ravens' secondary struggled against the Packers.
In Green Bay, much of Malik Willis' passing success occurred when he targeted Baltimore's outside corners, Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey. Washington plays primarily in nickel and dime packages as a safety or slot defender, and not where the Ravens were being attacked most often.
However, the Ravens face another must-win situation against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr calls Washington "one of our best 11" defensive players. He's a physical defensive back who's an excellent run defender. If he's healthy, I'm expecting Washington to play more than he did last week. A Ravens-Steelers game with a playoff spot on the line is Washington's kind of party.
