Lamar Jackson’s feelings about playing on Christmas again

Lamar Jackson has mixed feelings about playing a road game on Christmas for the second year in a row.

The Ravens will fly to Houston to face the Texans on Christmas Eve and won’t return to Baltimore until late Christmas Eve. Jackson laughed when asked how he felt about spending his second Christmas in a row away from home before explaining his feelings.

In some ways, he’s glad the Ravens are a popular choice to play this Christmas.

“It means we’re good,” Jackson said. “But at the same time, I want to celebrate at home sometimes with my family. I don’t want to play at Christmas all the time.”

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley paused when asked if he likes playing at Christmas.

“Of course,” he said. “I don’t like it. I think it’s an honor to play on Christmas Day because first of all it’s an important day; it’s Christmas. There aren’t that many games on it. It’s a very big stage to play on, so it’s definitely an honor.”

Jackson hopes the Ravens perform as well or better than they did last season when they rolled to a convincing 33-19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The Ravens locked in and played one of their best games of the 2023 season, and Jackson believes they will respond well again.

“It’s great, all jokes aside,” Jackson said. “It’s a gift for everyone. They get to see us play and a lot of eyes are on us. I believe a lot of people will see us at the right time.”