Starters missing from Week 18
Lamar Jackson will not play in Baltimore’s regularseason finale against the Steelers this weekend, coach John Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh said Tyler Huntley will start for the Ravens, who have already clinched the top seed in the AFC. Ex-Jet Josh Johnson will be Huntley’s backup.
The announcement was no surprise now that Baltimore has wrapped up a first-round bye in the postseason. Jackson, who missed the end of 2021 and 2022 seasons because of injuries, has started all 16 games so far this season.
49ERS: Quarterback Brock Purdy will sit out the 49ers’ regular-season finale after the team already wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said that Ex-Jet Sam Darnold will start in place of Purdy on Sunday against the Rams with nothing at stake.
CHIEFS: Patrick Mahomes will sit out the Chiefs’ regular-season finale against the Chargers on Sunday in Los Angeles with their eighth straight AFC West title secured and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs already locked up.
The Chiefs can do no better or worse in their postseason positioning after last week’s win over Cincinnati clinched the division.
Veteran backup Blaine Gabbert will start and second-year pro Chris Oladokun, who has spent the season on the practice squad, will be the primary backup.
BROWNS: Joe Flacco will sit out the regular-season finale at Cincinnati — along with some other regulars — to rest for the playoffs and Cleveland will go with Jeff Driskel, a franchise-record fifth quarterback to start for the team this season.
COMMANDERS: Ron Rivera announced Washington is sticking with Sam Howell at quarterback for its season finale against Dallas. The decision comes with backup Jacoby Brissett still nursing a sore hamstring and means Howell will be the first Washington QB to start every game since Kirk Cousins in 2017.
RAMS: Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp and linebacker Ernest Jones will not play in the regularseason finale at San Francisco, coach Sean McVay said. Carson Wentz will make his Rams debut.