Hall of Famer warns Ravens about resting starters vs. Steelers

Retired quarterback and Hall of Famer Warren Moon wants Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to think twice before sitting starters such as star signal-caller Lamar Jackson for all of Saturday's regular-season finale versus the 9-7 Pittsburgh Steelers. 

"As a football player," Moon explained during a chat with TMZ Sports, "you want to stay within that routine and that habit of what you've been going through the whole season to make you successful."

The Ravens clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC via a dominant 56-19 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins last Sunday and understandably want to have Jackson and others as healthy as possible for the upcoming postseason tournament. For a piece published Friday, ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley mentioned that Jackson is among a handful of Baltimore starters expected to be inactive or have their roles reduced versus Pittsburgh. 

Moon believes Harbaugh may want to re-consider and give key players at least some relatively safe snaps in Week 18 similar to how some teams approach preseason contests. 

"That's the only thing that concerns about this team and some of the guys that they're sitting down," Moon said. "How sharp are they going to be in three weeks after going through a season where they're used to playing week after week after week?"

Harbaugh sat Jackson and others for the 2019 regular-season finale, and the Ravens went on to lose their only playoff game in January 2020. Per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, Jackson insisted while speaking with reporters earlier this week that he's confident things will be "different" for Baltimore this time around. 

"They dominated against some of the best teams in the league," Moon added about a 13-3 Ravens team that recently defeated the San Francisco 49ers and Dolphins in back-to-back games. 

As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Ravens as the betting favorites at +140 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVIII.