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 in the course of the fourth quarter. “I would like y’all to complete, however I would like 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 Beneficial Participant awards as postseason video games — two. In a yr when he put up his greatest statistical numbers — changing into the primary participant to provide greater than 4,000 passing yards and 900 speeding 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.
Serving to Jackson overcome his playoff struggles and advance to the Tremendous Bowl has change into the franchise’s most urgent precedence. Since 2018 and amongst quarterbacks with no less than 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 discovered the way to lean on an upgraded supporting solid, keep away from uncharacteristic errors and use his previous postseason expertise to zero in on his final aim.
“I’d simply be too excited,” Jackson mentioned 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 acquired to calm myself down.’ However simply being extra skilled, I’ve discovered a strategy to steadiness it out.”
Requested what Jackson’s mindset shall be within the playoffs, tight finish Mark Andrews mentioned: “Locked in. Utterly locked in.”
The Ravens have tried to cut back the strain on Jackson by enhancing the gamers round him. Prior to now three drafts, Jackson has watched Baltimore bolster the offensive line by including Professional Bowl middle Tyler Linderbaum and rookie beginning proper sort out Roger Rosengarten. Jackson has his first Professional Bowl broad 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 largest addition got here when it signed free agent working again Derrick Henry, whose 1,921 speeding 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 concern in defenses and supply some reduction for Jackson.
“Now,” mentioned Corridor of Fame defensive again Rod Woodson, a Ravens radio analyst, “Lamar would not should 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 mentioned, alluding to reaching the Tremendous Bowl. “However my thoughts, I am targeted on now, although. It’s what it’s at this level.”
In that recreation, Jackson’s largest 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 feel he is pushed, he is tried to make performs within the postseason,” Woodson mentioned. “And usually in any sport, while 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.
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 towards the Cleveland Browns in 2023.
“You bought to attempt to be mistake-free,” Jackson mentioned. “The sport’s gained with the turnover battle and preserving the ball in your management, transferring 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 without doubt 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 keeping with ESPN Analysis.
In Jackson’s first playoff recreation, within the 2018 wild-card spherical, he fumbled thrice towards the Los Angeles Chargers. Within the 2019 divisional spherical, he had two interceptions towards the Tennessee Titans. Each video games had been losses.
“When [Lamar is] at his greatest, he is taking part in free,” Linderbaum mentioned. “So I do not assume he must have any strain or really feel any strain. I feel he is at his greatest when he is having enjoyable, and that is our job to attempt to get him into that frame of mind.”
JACKSON’S HIGHLIGHT-MAKING performs have made him and the Ravens must-watch TV. The reigning NFL MVP has performed a virtually excellent common season by eliminating errors.
He has thrown 4 interceptions in 2024, with three coming off his receiver’s palms 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 degree,” Martin mentioned. “What he sees, what he thinks about, what he anticipates and the way he acts on it’s one other yr 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 mentioned. “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 actually 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 will not be talked about sufficient,” Johnson mentioned. “His God-given means permits him to do issues that most individuals can solely dream of. And so lots of people assume he is improvising. However lots of occasions it is not.”
On Saturday, Jackson faces his largest postseason problem within the Steelers, a group that traditionally has compelled him to make errors. They’re the one group that Jackson has thrown extra interceptions (9) than touchdowns (8) towards.
Jackson, who’s 2-4 towards Pittsburgh, had his greatest recreation towards 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 towards them within the fourth quarter after a miscommunication with broad receiver Rashod Bateman, who minimize off his route.
“I used to be mad till the sport was over,” Jackson mentioned. “I am mendacity, I am nonetheless mad. The sport [is] over, I am nonetheless sizzling.”
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 lots of his teammates. Contained in the locker room, he was sad concerning the final drive due to what Ravens coach John Harbaugh known as “some personnel challenges.”
“The dude is a competitor,” Harbaugh mentioned. “He is a fighter. He is simply one in all a form. There’s no one like Lamar Jackson.”
IN JACKSON’S SEVENTH season, attending to a Tremendous Bowl is the final field to verify. But it surely was that means 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 acquired lots of expertise within the playoffs now,” mentioned 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 mentioned 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 mentioned in August.
At the beginning of coaching camp, Jackson recalled what he mentioned 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. Consider that.”
“I mentioned that, and I meant that,” Jackson mentioned. “That is the very best degree of the sport we play. You have to exit a champion, and that is what I need to be labeled as — a champion. [I don’t] simply need to be labeled as MVP right here and there. I need to be a champion.”
