The Ravens will be resting star Lamar Jackson for their regular season finale against the Steelers.
Jackson, the first MVP champion, and his colleagues Marshal Yanda, Earl Thomas, Mark Ingram and Brandon Williams are scheduled to rest on Sunday.
The Ravens (13-2) took advantage of the top seed and local AFC match after beating the Cleveland Browns 31-15 last week.
“It will be an opportunity for some players to play inactive,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Monday. “It’s a game of rivalry, it’s the Steelers, they have everything to play for, we recognize that and we will try to take the ultimate step forward.”
Jackson made it clear his intention to play Week 17 after Baltimore’s win at Cleveland on Sunday.
“Yes, he wants to play, I saw the press conference,” Harbaugh added. “I will appreciate it, but one thing for Lamar and all of our guys will be 100% behind the guys who play and they will do what they can to play those guys who play in this game and win the game of football. “
Harbaugh also confirmed that Ingram suffered a “mild to moderate” bovine strain in the win against the Browns.
“He won’t play this week, most likely he would not play this week, regardless of the occasion with the calf strain,” Harbaugh said. “We would look for him to be ready in two weeks, so we’ll just see how he goes.”