Despite being a shadow of their usual selves, the Baltimore Ravens came close to defeating the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs before falling short 27-25. One of the notable moments from the contest was when TE Mark Andrews bobbled and dropped a surefire touchdown pass. While pundits and fans slammed him for it, the criticism did not stop there. The scrutiny extended to Lamar Jackson and his failure to deliver in the postseason game.
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On Tuesday night’s episode of SPEAK on Fox Sports, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin did not mince words in his criticism of the seven-year veteran. Starting with the fact that Jackson now has a 3-5 record in the playoffs, Irvin suggested that turnovers were to blame.
“In six of those eight games, Lamar has had turnovers… Every time he faced (a QB of similar skill level) he turned the ball over… He had turnovers…In contrast, Josh Allen, in the last four playoff games… has not had any turnovers,” Irvin explained.
The three-time Super Bowl champion believes that, while Lamar is a great QB, he will never become a “Super QB” until he addresses the turnover issues.
Allen currently boasts a 7-5 record in the playoffs. Additionally, he has compiled 3,122 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, and four interceptions on 426 passing attempts throughout his post-season career. Meanwhile, Jackson has produced 1,753 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions with 241 passing attempts across his eight playoff games. Allen also features a 101.5 passing rate in the playoffs, whereas Jackson maintains an 84.6 passer rating.
The Ravens have certainly been one of the more unlucky teams in the league, with the drop from Andrews on a go-ahead scoring being just the latest example of the team’s misfortunes. Baltimore’s roster featured nine pro bowlers this year, more than any other team in the league. While the Andrews drop was unfortunate, the reality is that Jackson’s turnovers were just as costly for Baltimore. In what was ultimately a one-score game, any and all offensive possessions matter.
Obviously, Lamar should not shoulder all of the blame for his team’s shortcomings. However, he definitely has a fair share of it. Perhaps, Irvin’s comments are more than warranted, and this was confirmed by Jackson himself.
While answering questions during his post-game press conference, Jackson was the first to label his two turnovers as “costly.” Taking full responsibility for the mistakes, the dual-threat QB noted that his inability to get his eyes on the safety when facing man coverage was to blame for the first-half interception.
However, he was able to make clear improvements in the second half of the contest. Unfortunately, for both Baltimore and Jackson, his other teammates failed to deliver in the back half of the divisional round game.
Jackson will continue to be one of the NFL’s premier passers, and the Ravens will more than likely return to the playoffs next season. Until then, fans can expect a bit of turnover to the franchise’s roster this offseason. Regardless of who stays and who leaves, rest assured that should the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl in the near future, Jackson will be leading the way.
