Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was faced with quite the quarterback conundrum versus the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card. Quarterback Lamar Jackson had struggled mightily and there was plenty of speculation about him being replaced by Joe Flacco.
Flacco was even seen warming up on the sidelines at one point in the second half. According to NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala, Harbaugh felt he ultimately made the right decision:
“I don’t think Joe would have played any better in 2 minutes than Lamar did so give Lamar credit for the way he played in 2 minutes…you’d have to say based on that part of it at that point in time of the game it was the right decision.”
There is certainly plenty of truth to Harbaugh's comments. It is no secret that Jackson had been in the midst of an abysmal performance when rumors began to swirl about his potential benching. Fortunately, he was able to bounce back by throwing for 156 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to nearly complete a comeback.
Furthermore, it is difficult to imagine Flacco faring much better against the hounding Chargers' offense. Los Angeles had provided consistent pressure on the rookie throughout the entire game. His mobility actually helped him nullify the pressure that the veteran would have ultimately succumbed to. It is clear that Flacco agrees since he had high praise for Jackson following the loss. Of course, this should come as no surprise since he has shown tremendous class since the rookie's emergence.
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