Lamar Jackson says he will watch Beyonce perform during Ravens-Texans halftime on Christmas: 'Sorry Harbaugh'

Beyonce has legions of adoring fans captivated by her every move. You can count Lamar Jackson as one of her loudest and proudest.

The Ravens star is a known music aficionado, having waxed lyrical about his love for Pompano Beach, Fla.-based acts Kodak Black and Loe Shimmy, among others. But like any music enjoyer of a certain generation, Jackson is familiar with the classics, too, including Beyonce — the global pop supernova set to perform during halftime of Baltimore and Houston's Christmas Day clash.

For most players, halftime represents a respite from the glitz and glamor of your typical NFL contest. Players lick their first-half wounds and receive instruction on how to better attack their adversary in the third and fourth quarters.

Not Jackson, though — at least not on Christmas Day. Here's what you need to know.

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What did Lamar Jackson say about Beyonce?

Jackson offered Beyonce the ultimate praise, revealing his plans to stay out of the locker room and watch the 32-time Grammy winner perform live.

"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."

— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) December 23, 2024

Jackson, who cited "Irreplaceable" as his favorite Beyonce track, admitted that he's hoping to watch along no matter what the score of the Ravens-Texans game is at half.

"No, I'm not even thinking about the lead," Jackson said. "I was just thinking about just seeing Beyoncé for the first time."

MORE: What to know about Beyonce's Christmas Day halftime performance

If the two-time MVP were to stick to his word, he wouldn't be the first NFL player to make such a decision. Bengals kicker Evan McPherson bore witness to Dr. Dre's halftime performance instead of going into the locker room at half during Super Bowl 56.

McPherson staying on the field to watch the half time show is awesome haha pic.twitter.com/Nhp3RDMMJG

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) February 14, 2022

Evan McPherson is the best pic.twitter.com/C617wcDVWc

— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) February 14, 2022

With 40 total touchdowns to just four interceptions and a historically good passer rating, if there's one man who could probably get away with missing out on a halftime team talk, it's Jackson, who is holding firm in the MVP race despite Josh Allen's latest exploits.

Still, Harbaugh seemed to hint at the possibility of punishments being levied if players were to stray from the locker room, a la McPherson.

"There'll be trouble. There will be big trouble," Harbaugh said.

"I can't say I'm a huge Beyoncé fan, but I think I like her," he 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."

There is one reason to believe Harbaugh and Co. might want to keep their ears alert to Beyonce and her dulcet tones. The last time she graced an NFL stage at halftime served the Ravens pretty well; Beyonce was the Super Bowl 47 halftime performer. The final result of that game? Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31.

"I do remember that now," Harbaugh said with a smile.

What time does the Beyonce halftime show start?

• Date: Wednesday, Dec. 25
• Start time: 5:30 p.m. ET | 2:30 p.m. PT (approximate time)

Ravens vs. Texans kicks off at 4:30 p.m. ET, so the halftime show is expected to begin around 5:30-6 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT). Of course, Beyoncé's performance could be moved up or pushed back depending on the flow of the game.

The AFC matchup will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

How to watch the Beyonce halftime show

• TV channel: CBS (local)
• Live stream: Netflix | DAZN (Canada) 

Ravens-Texans, along with Beyoncé's highly-anticipated halftime show will only be available on Netflix, as part of their NFL Christmas Game Day stream. Fans in Houston and Baltimore will be able to watch the broadcast on local CBS channels. 

Cord-cutters in Canada can stream the performance on DAZN.