Lamar Jackson Sends Strong Message to John Harbaugh on Benching 28-YO Star: “We Want Him”

The Week 13 game between the Ravens and the Eagles ended with a 24-19 victory for the Eagles. But there was a confusion in the Ravens lineup. They didn’t have their recently acquired wide receiver, Diontae Johnson. Now, Lamar Jackson opened up about his O-line member post-game.

While talking to the reporters after the game, the Ravens QB gave a powerful message to coach John Harbaugh and said, “We want him out there. He’s a great receiver. We didn’t get him from the Panthers for nothing.” Well, that’s interesting. Questions were raised when he was not in the lineup as well as the substitutions.

Without their WR, the O-line struggled to convert their chances into points. With 23 of 36 yards (64% completion rate) in 237 yards and 2 touchdowns, Lamar Jackson was way above his counterpart Jalen Hurts, who had 11 of 19 passes (58% completion rate) in 118 yards with 1 touchdown. But the Eagles had the last laugh. After all, they won the game.

Praising his wide receiver looks like a move to inspire his locker room to get united. They have a very good chance of qualifying for the playoffs. With 7 wins and 5 losses, they are in the 2nd position in the AFC North and in the wild cards, 6th in the conference. Out of the 4 remaining games, they need to win at least 2 games. The message by the two-time MVP will raise Diontae Johnson’s value in the eyes of his teammates. But his status is still a mystery.

Lamar Jackson & Co. struggle in their week 13 matchup without Diontae Johnson

The 28-year-old has been dealing with ribs, hamstring, and ankle injuries before the Ravens acquired him from the Panthers. So, when they benched him, the HC was asked about it. Not ready to unravel the secret behind benching him, the HC said, “I’m not really ready to comment on that right now. I will be. Just don’t have enough information right now to talk about that.” Without him, the team faltered.

The Eagles had a 67% red zone efficiency while the Ravens struggled at only 40%. Despite having more possession time (33:51) compared to the Eagles (26:09), they couldn’t overtake their rivals after halftime. That forced Lamar Jackson to instill confidence in his teammates.

They have 2 weeks as it’s their bye week. Concerns need to be assessed not only for the remaining games but also for the playoffs. The Ravens qualified for the postseason in the last two years but couldn’t secure a win. The fans would be celebrating if they go all the way this year.