ALAMEDA — Before they exploded on to the scene as big-time play-makers in 2019, Lamar Jackson and Darren Waller were plying their trade on the service team of the Baltimore Ravens.
Jackson, who leads the Ravens (10-2) into a showdown Sunday against the 49ers (11-1) in Baltimore, spent the first nine games of his rookie season as backup to Joe Flacco, getting occasional work as a change-of-pace quarterback. Waller, reinstated after a year’s suspension for violating the NFL policy on substances of abuse, was getting his life in order on the practice squad and trying to earn the trust of his teammates and coaches.