Lamar Jackson has consistently come up short in the postseason, despite having a good team around him. He’s on the verge of winning his third MVP award, yet he’s only reached the AFC Championship game once, which he lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
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This lack of success in the playoffs, along with an empty Lombardi Trophy shelf, is quite an eyesore for someone like Stephen A. Smith, who believes that if Lamar does win the highly-coveted MVP award this season, people simply won’t care. Even if those people were from Baltimore.
“Lamar Jackson, in all likelihood, is going to be named an MVP for the third time in his career,” Stephen A. professed on the latest episode of First Take. “I challenge anybody to show me somebody who’s going to win the MVP award, and at that moment, how little folks are going to care. Nobody in Baltimore, nobody in the NFL other than your contemporaries… Nobody really cares. Because we know that greatness demands more than that trophy.”
It’s brutal what Stephen A. said, but it’s true that people would discount the award more this time around. Lamar still doesn’t have a championship win in his career. Even still, we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss a three-time MVP winner.
Lamar would become just the seventh player in NFL history to secure that many awards alongside the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers, to name a few. It would be a historic achievement that should be celebrated rather than dismissed.
Is Lamar’s Championship “Inevitable”?
The entire discussion was sparked by the First Take crew based on a quote that Ravens fullback, Patrick Ricard said in regards to his impending free agency. Following the Ravens’ Divisional Round loss, Ricard told reporters he believes Lamar Jackson is a special player and that it’s only a matter of time before he wins a Super Bowl. The fullback also expressed his desire to be part of Jackson’s first championship.
“It’s inevitable he’s going to win a Super Bowl and I want to be a part of it. It just sucks it hasn’t happened yet. I personally feel bad for him because he deserves it, just because of how great a player he is. He deserves to be considered one of the best quarterbacks — he already is, but I know everyone considers championships the standard. He’ll get it one day,” Ricard told reporters.
It’s hard to not feel bad for Lamar. A player of his quality should have at the very least appeared in a Super Bowl by now. But he’s only been to one AFC Championship game and tends to commit huge mistakes in the biggest moments. However, this time around, it wasn’t Lamar’s fault.
Sure, Lamar had a costly fumble that shifted the momentum of the game, and he threw an early interception. But when it mattered most late in the game, it was Mark Andrews who let him and the team down.
To make matters worse, Lamar’s top receivers, Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers, were sidelined due to injuries. Andrews likely dropped the two-point pass because he was fatigued from running routes typically assigned to wide receivers.
It’s just a tough loss that Lamar and Baltimore need to take on the chin. There will be other opportunities in the future for this team to get over the hump. As Ricard hoped, Lamar’s career arc could be playing out similarly to Peyton Manning’s.
Manning started his playoff career like Lamar; 3-5 and only one AFC Championship appearance. His obstacle was Brady, which he ultimately cleared. Lamar’s biggest obstacles so far have been Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. But he could still have another 10 years left in the tank like Manning to clear those hurdles as well.
Like Ricard said, “There’s still time. He’s still young. He’s definitely gonna get one at some point.”
Nothing in life is guaranteed. But if you were to place a bet on whether Lamar will win a championship before his career ends, I’d bet you’d take that chance.
