All the single ladies, put your hands up! Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has big plans for Christmas — and they involve ditching his teammates at halftime to watch Beyoncé’s performance during Baltimore’s game against the Houston Texans. The reigning NFL MVP doesn’t want to miss seeing Queen Bey live for the first time, even if it means catching some flak from head coach John Harbaugh.
“I’m going to go out there and watch,” Jackson declared, not even pretending to be subtle about his intentions. “[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.”
Crazy in Love with Bey
When asked about his favorite Beyoncé tune, Jackson name-checked her kiss-off anthem “Irreplaceable.” Specifically, he’s vibing with the “to the left, to the left” lyric — a subtle hint about where his priorities lie come halftime. The Ravens could be up big against the struggling Texans, but Jackson made it clear the scoreboard won’t dictate his Beyoncé agenda whatsoever.
“No, I’m not even thinking about the lead. I was just thinking about just seeing Beyoncé for the first time.”
Lamar Jackson
Harbaugh Hopes for Halftime Halo
Coach Harbaugh tried to play it cool when reporters raised the halftime hullabaloo, even joking about the slim chance of Beyoncé busting out some country jams amid her signature R&B-pop catalog. He also playfully warned of “big trouble” for any players who pull an Evan McPherson, the Bengals kicker who skipped locker room strategizing to catch Snoop Dogg at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show.
But it seems Jackson has more sway than McPherson. After all, he’s the face of the franchise, a perennial MVP contender, and one of the most electrifying players in the league. If he wants to get in formation for a few Beyoncé bangers, what’s a head coach to do — put a ring on it?
Ghost of Halftimes Past
Harbaugh probably should’ve known better than to even invoke Beyoncé’s name. Her last encounter with the Ravens resulted in a power outage that delayed Super Bowl XLVII for 34 minutes — a debacle jokingly blamed on Bey’s mega-wattage halftime spectacular shorting the Superdome’s circuits.
Reminded of that infamous incident, Harbaugh simply grinned and replied, “I do remember that now.” No word on whether he intends to unplug the sound system at NRG Stadium as a precaution.
Ravens Ready for a Christmas Crunk
At 10-5, Baltimore is sitting pretty for a playoff spot, even tied with the Bengals atop the uber-competitive AFC North. A win over the 1-12-1 Texans would keep the Ravens on pace for the division crown and a home playoff game — so no pressure, Lamar!
Jackson admitted he’d prefer to be home for the holidays instead of on the gridiron, saying “I don’t want to play on Christmas all the time — not all the time.” But he couldn’t hide his excitement over the spotlight that comes with playing on Christmas, when the Ravens-Texans tilt will be the only game in town.
“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.”
Lamar Jackson
With the Ravens on a roll and Beyoncé ready to sleigh her halftime show, Jackson might get the ultimate holiday gift in Houston — as long as he’s not too busy getting his Sasha Fierce on to lead a Ravens rout. If Jackson and his teammates can handle their business efficiently enough, maybe Harbaugh will grant them a Christmas miracle: permission to let Lamar & Co. get in on Queen Bey’s jingle bell rock.
