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Why Stephen A. says the Ravens will win the AFC North (1:59)
Stephen A. Smith explains why he believes the Baltimore Ravens will win the AFC North after their 34-17 victory over the Steelers. (1:59)
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson doesn’t appear to be a big fan of playing on Christmas again. But let’s just say he’s “Crazy in Love” with Wednesday’s halftime show.
On Monday, Jackson said he plans to catch Beyoncé perform during halftime of the Ravens at Houston Texans game on Christmas.
“I’m going to go out there and watch,” Jackson said. “[It will be my] first time seeing Beyoncé perform, and it’s at our game — that’s dope. I’m going to go out and watch. Sorry [Ravens coach John] Harbaugh, sorry. Sorry fellas.”
Jackson said his favorite Beyoncé song is “To The Left,” a reference to the catchy lyric in “Irreplaceable.” The reigning NFL Most Valuable Player was asked whether watching Beyoncé perform would depend on if Baltimore holds a big lead over Houston.
“No, I’m not even thinking about the lead,” Jackson said. “I was just thinking about just seeing Beyoncé for the first time.”
Before Jackson spoke to reporters, Harbaugh was asked if the Ravens’ locker room was soundproof so players wouldn’t get distracted. Harbaugh brought up how three years ago, Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson was caught watching Snoop Dogg at halftime of Super Bowl LVI instead of going into the locker room.
Harbaugh then said: “There’ll be trouble. There will be big trouble.”
“I can’t say I’m a huge Beyoncé fan, but I think I like her,” Harbaugh added. “Is she doing country [music] now? You think some of those country songs will be in there? You’ll have to report to me on that.”
Harbaugh had forgotten about how Beyoncé played at the halftime of the Ravens’ last Super Bowl and her performance was blamed by some for the power outage in the Caesars Superdome.
“I do remember that now,” Harbaugh said with a smile.
The Ravens (10-5) clinched a playoff berth on Sunday with a 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and moved into a first-place tie with the Steelers atop the AFC North. Baltimore has a 52.9% chance of winning the division, according to ESPN Analytics.
When the Ravens play at the Texans on Wednesday, it will mark the second straight year that Baltimore has played on Christmas.
“I do want to celebrate at home with some time with my family. I don’t want to play on Christmas all the time — not all the time,” Jackson said. “But no, it’s great. All jokes aside, it’s great. It’s a present for everyone. They get to see us play, and [there will be] a lot of eyes on us, and I believe a lot of people are going to be watching us at the right time.”
