OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Earlier this season, Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin performed a clip of Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes in final season’s AFC Championship Recreation for Lamar Jackson and his teammates.
“Composure, composure, composure,” Mahomes yelled within the huddle throughout the fourth quarter. “I need y’all to complete, however I need composure.”
Martin’s message to Jackson? Championship groups are emotionally and mentally able to win the hardest video games.
Jackson has gained as many NFL Most Worthwhile Participant awards as postseason video games — two. In a 12 months when he put up his finest statistical numbers — turning into the primary participant to provide greater than 4,000 passing yards and 900 dashing yards in a season — Jackson faces a distinction that illustrates his regular-season domination and playoff disappointment: He is the one a number of NFL MVP who has not gained a Tremendous Bowl, a lot much less reached one.
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Serving to Jackson overcome his playoff struggles and advance to the Tremendous Bowl has turn out to be the franchise’s most urgent precedence. Since 2018 and amongst quarterbacks with a minimum of 5 begins, Jackson has the NFL’s fourth-best regular-season file at 70-24 (.745) however is tied for the worst postseason mark at 2-4 (.333). Within the playoffs, Jackson has produced as many turnovers (6 interceptions, 3 misplaced fumbles) as touchdowns (9).
When Baltimore hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday’s AFC wild-card recreation (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video), the Ravens will discover out if Jackson has realized learn how to lean on an upgraded supporting solid, keep away from uncharacteristic errors and use his previous postseason expertise to zero in on his final objective.
“I’d simply be too excited,” Jackson stated when recalling what his previous postseasons have taught him. “That is all. Too antsy. I am seeing issues earlier than it occurred, like, ‘Oh, I received to calm myself down.’ However simply being extra skilled, I’ve discovered a approach to stability it out.”
Requested what Jackson’s mindset shall be within the playoffs, tight finish Mark Andrews stated: “Locked in. Utterly locked in.”
The Ravens have tried to cut back the strain on Jackson by enhancing the gamers round him. Previously three drafts, Jackson has watched Baltimore bolster the offensive line by including Professional Bowl middle Tyler Linderbaum and rookie beginning proper deal with Roger Rosengarten. Jackson has his first Professional Bowl large receiver in Zay Flowers, however the cross catcher’s availability is in query after he injured his proper knee within the regular-season finale.
Baltimore’s greatest addition got here when it signed free agent working again Derrick Henry, whose 1,921 dashing yards are the eleventh most in a single season in NFL historical past. His highly effective presence, particularly late in video games, was supposed to strike worry in defenses and supply some reduction for Jackson.
“Now,” stated Corridor of Fame defensive again Rod Woodson, a Ravens radio analyst, “Lamar would not must be Superman.”
THERE’S ONLY ONE postseason recreation Jackson nonetheless thinks about: final season’s AFC championship, a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs.
“It was proper there,” Jackson stated, alluding to reaching the Tremendous Bowl. “However my thoughts, I am centered on now, although. It’s what it’s at this level.”
In that recreation, Jackson’s greatest mistake was an uncommon one.
With the Chiefs main 17-7 within the fourth quarter, Jackson moved Baltimore to the Kansas Metropolis 25-yard line earlier than launching a dangerous throw to tight finish Isaiah Seemingly, who was a step behind a crowd of defenders. By the point the underthrown cross reached the tip zone, Seemingly was surrounded by three Chiefs gamers, and Jackson’s throw was intercepted.
“Within the earlier years, I believe he is pushed, he is tried to make performs within the postseason,” Woodson stated. “And usually in any sport, once you’re making an attempt to make performs, they do not usually come. You allow them to come to you.”
Jackson has averaged one turnover each 82 snaps within the common season. Within the playoffs? One turnover each 45 snaps.
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In Baltimore’s 2020 divisional spherical loss to the Buffalo Payments, Jackson threw a pick-six on a 101-yard return by cornerback Taron Johnson. He has thrown just one different pick-six in his profession and it got here off a deflected cross in opposition to the Cleveland Browns in 2023.
“You bought to attempt to be mistake-free,” Jackson stated. “The sport’s gained with the turnover battle and preserving the ball in your management, shifting the ball down the sphere, getting first downs. … Clearly, that is the way you win these video games.”
Jackson’s change in play from the common season to the postseason is likely one of the most dramatic within the league. His QBR from the common season (67.4) to the postseason (53.2) is a 14.2-point drop-off, the second highest amongst quarterbacks since 2006, behind solely Carolina Panthers veteran Andy Dalton, in line with ESPN Analysis.
In Jackson’s first playoff recreation, within the 2018 wild-card spherical, he fumbled 3 times in opposition to the Los Angeles Chargers. Within the 2019 divisional spherical, he had two interceptions in opposition to the Tennessee Titans. Each video games had been losses.
“When [Lamar is] at his finest, he is enjoying free,” Linderbaum stated. “So I do not assume he must have any strain or really feel any strain. I believe he is at his finest when he is having enjoyable, and that is our job to attempt to get him into that way of thinking.”
JACKSON’S HIGHLIGHT-MAKING performs have made him and the Ravens must-watch TV. The reigning NFL MVP has performed an almost good common season by eliminating errors.
He has thrown 4 interceptions in 2024, with three coming off his receiver’s fingers and the opposite coming when a receiver did not end his route. In his earlier MVP seasons, Jackson threw six interceptions in 2019 and 7 in 2023.
“His thoughts is on one other stage,” Martin stated. “What he sees, what he thinks about, what he anticipates and the way he acts on it’s one other 12 months superior.”
Jackson is the primary participant in NFL historical past to provide greater than 40 landing passes (41) and fewer than 5 interceptions (4) in a season.
“Each recreation, his will, his battle, he is after perfection,” Andrews stated. “His will to win video games and be on level, to be him, to be Lamar, and even elevate that from week to week is really unbelievable.”
Backup quarterback Josh Johnson believes Jackson has restricted his errors by taking possession of the offense and getting everybody on the identical web page.
“Lamar’s consciousness is just not talked about sufficient,” Johnson stated. “His God-given capacity permits him to do issues that most individuals can solely dream of. And so lots of people assume he is improvising. However plenty of occasions it is not.”
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On Saturday, Jackson faces his greatest postseason problem within the Steelers, a staff that traditionally has compelled him to make errors. They’re the one staff that Jackson has thrown extra interceptions (9) than touchdowns (8) in opposition to.
Jackson, who’s 2-4 in opposition to Pittsburgh, had his finest recreation in opposition to them in final month’s 34-17 win, throwing for 207 yards and three touchdowns. Regardless of this, he could not rejoice. His final interception of the season got here in opposition to them within the fourth quarter after a miscommunication with large receiver Rashod Bateman, who minimize off his route.
“I used to be mad till the sport was over,” Jackson stated. “I am mendacity, I am nonetheless mad. The sport [is] over, I am nonetheless scorching.”
When the Ravens captured the AFC North title for a second straight season in Week 18, Jackson did not put on the celebratory hat and T-shirt like a lot of his teammates. Contained in the locker room, he was sad concerning the final drive due to what Ravens coach John Harbaugh referred to as “some personnel challenges.”
“The dude is a competitor,” Harbaugh stated. “He is a fighter. He is simply certainly one of a sort. There’s no person like Lamar Jackson.”
IN JACKSON’S SEVENTH season, attending to a Tremendous Bowl is the final field to verify. Nevertheless it was that manner for a lot of quarterbacks.
Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre did not attain their first Tremendous Bowls till they had been 27. Jackson turned 28 on Tuesday.
It took Peyton Manning and Drew Brees till age 30 and their ninth seasons to advance to their first Tremendous Bowls. Manning had gained two NFL MVPs earlier than reaching his first Tremendous Bowl.
“Expertise counts in lots of conditions, and he is received plenty of expertise within the playoffs now,” stated Marty Mornhinweg, Jackson’s first offensive coordinator with Baltimore. “Playoff video games are completely different than regular-season video games. So he is had that have. And I might anticipate Lamar and the Baltimore Ravens to win a pair Tremendous Bowls within the close to future.”
Earlier than the beginning of this season, Ravens normal supervisor Eric DeCosta seen an “urgency” in Jackson. DeCosta stated Jackson was in tune along with his teammates and coaches in practices.
“I can actually get a way that this man is so hyper-focused on this season and actually working to get a hoop,” DeCosta stated in August.
At the beginning of coaching camp, Jackson recalled what he stated when Baltimore chosen him with the final decide of the primary spherical within the 2018 draft: “They are going to get a Tremendous Bowl out of me. Imagine that.”
“I stated that, and I meant that,” Jackson stated. “That is the best stage of the sport we play. You have to exit a champion, and that is what I wish to be labeled as — a champion. [I don’t] simply wish to be labeled as MVP right here and there. I wish to be a champion.”
