Lamar Jackson officially announced as the starting quarterback against Tampa Bay; Flacco to back him up

What was once an incredibly murky quarterback situation with as many as three guys in the mix to start at once, the Baltimore Ravens have officially named a starter for this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Coach Harbaugh's QB Annoucement: pic.twitter.com/OWvf61WnKd

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 12, 2018

To open his Wednesday media availability, John Harbaugh finally committed to rookie Lamar Jackson as his unquestioned starter heading into a game for the first time since Joe Flacco’s injury situation cropped up several weeks ago. He also confirmed that the veteran would be number two on the depth chart behind Jackson, taking over for Robert Griffin III who saw some limited action behind Lamar in his time as the backup.

While it isn’t necessarily confirmed just yet, this would all but seem to indicate Jackson will be the guy over the course of the three game stretch to close out the year. As for Flacco, Harbaugh stated he took the news as well as possible and that he’ll be ready if called upon again before the season is over:

Flacco took his benching like a “pro” according to Harbaugh. He may be called on to be a part of the game plan. #Ravens

— Kyle J. Andrews (@KyleAndrews1994) December 12, 2018

It’s certainly still worth speculating if Flacco (the unquestionably more developed passer) will be involved in Baltimore’s gameplan moving forward, but this does seem to be the right move to make for the homestretch of the 2018 season. Jackson has played reasonably well, gone 3-1 in his four starts, and has injected life into what was a DOA Ravens offense just a month ago.

For Flacco, it’s a tough way to go out if this indeed it for him, but he’s a pros pro and likely understand this is the move for Harbaugh to make at this juncture. For now though, it appears the future has arrived as Jackson is the undisputed starter for the first time in his Ravens career; here’s hoping he takes advantage of it in what is a crucial three game run to close out the year.

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