“He Is the Face of the Team”: Paul Pierce Blames Lamar Jackson for Ravens’ Divisional Round Loss to Buffalo Bills

The Baltimore Ravens’ season ended in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills. Quarterback Lamar Jackson committed two turnovers in the first half of the 27-25 defeat. Tight end Mark Andrews lost a fumble and dropped the game-tying two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to seal the loss.

Baltimore’s fanbase has immensely criticized Andrews for his critical errors. Most Ravens fans have (unfairly) put the negative result on his shoulders. Paul Pierce refused to do the same. On Monday’s episode of Speak, he redirected some of the fault to Jackson.

“He (Lamar Jackson) can’t get a pass. He’s the face of the team. When they win, he gets the credit. When [they] lose, he has to get some of the blame. Now, he kept his team in it and gave them a shot at the end of the game, which is all you can ask for. But the critical fumble… an interception… he has to perform when they really need it, and he just hasn’t done that in the last couple years.”

Baltimore outgained Buffalo 416-273 in the game. The Ravens came up short in spite of that differential because they coughed the ball up three times and failed to coax a turnover out of the Bills. This game script has become a common playoff theme of Baltimore’s in the Lamar Jackson Era. And until the Ravens stop getting in their own way, they’re destined to continue coming up short in the postseason.

Michael Irvin: “History will remember this as a failure for Lamar Jackson”

Michael Irvin won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys. He knows the level of play required to advance in the playoffs. He’s also aware that thus far, Lamar Jackson hasn’t crafted a great postseason legacy. In his opinion, the football industry won’t fondly look back on Jackson’s latest slip up.

“History will remember this as a failure for Lamar [Jackson]. That’s just the reality of it… we talk about Lamar, Josh [Allen] and Patrick Mahomes… look at all the credit we give Joe Burrow? Why do we give him that much credit? Cause we know he [has] beaten Patrick Mahomes… somehow, some way, you gotta win those games.”

Jackson has a 3-5 career playoff record. He has 13 total touchdowns and 11 total turnovers in those eight games. No matter how you slice things, he has not consistently played at his established level during the postseason. Fortunately for him, he still has plenty of time to change the narrative. Through seven seasons, his playoff track record is nearly identical to Peyton Manning’s.

Both Manning and Jackson hoped to capture his first Super Bowl before year eight in the league. Manning finally got over the hump in his ninth season, when he was 30 years old. Jackson just turned 28 on Jan. 7. The Ravens’ regular postseason pitfalls have been brutal, but if he maintains his traditional level of excellence long enough, he’s bound to get his hands on the Lombardi Trophy sooner than later.