By: David Cabrias
Last year, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took home his second MVP trophy. His numbers are even better so far this season, and yet, the current narrative around him is negative. Why? The stats are starting to suggest he comes up short in the most important moments. But he might win MVP again this year regardless.
Jackson came into the league in 2018 as a player that was overlooked as a quarterback prospect. For Louisville, Jackson was one of the best athletic quarterbacks in college football history. But his efficiency as a passer was inconsistent, which led most NFL teams to question if he could pan out as a pro. The Ravens took that chance and have since developed Jackson into one of the most talented and productive quarterbacks in the league.
Today, Jackson is a highly respected two time league MVP (2019, 2023) who leads a Ravens offence that has been formidable ever since he took the helm. But his loss on Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers has reminded many football fans that while Jackson is Superman, a few select teams seem to be his kryptonite. Jackson has 2 wins and 10 losses in his career against the Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs, whereas his ratio against everyone else is 62-15.
While Jackson has dominated the regular season, the other knock on his career is his lack of playoff success. He has a disappointing 2-4 record in the playoffs. In last season’s playoffs, Jackson fell to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but to Jackson’s credit, so has nearly every other team over the past half-decade. Based on his consistency and championship pedigree, Mahomes is widely regarded as the best football player in the world. And while many believe Jackson isn’t far behind Mahomes, his lack of results in the clutch are holding his legacy back.
While Jackson can be excused for not playing his best against what is a modern dynasty in Kansas City, his record against his biggest adversary is harder to explain. The Ravens and Steelers have one of the most storied rivalries in the league’s history, but Jackson’s instalment has been unfavourable for his team. He is 1-4 against the Steelers and statistically plays his worst football against them. His career touchdown to interception ratio is an impressive 3:1, yet against the Steelers he has 5 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. The Steelers have a defense that seems to match up favourably against him, as they overcame the Ravens on Sunday 18-16. In a postgame interview Jackson credited the loss to him making “too many mistakes” but he didn’t acknowledge why those mistakes are more frequent against the Steelers even when he was asked directly. He seems to dodge that question the way he evades sacks on Sundays.
So if Jackson struggles so consistently against his most important opponents, why is he a multiple time MVP winner and so highly regarded? Well, he simply performs really really well against almost everyone else. His combination of his threat as a runner and his developed passing prowess has made him one of the most dominant quarterbacks of recent memory. He has the third most total touchdowns since 2019. But his overall success makes his poor record against specific teams that much more baffling. The Ravens currently are 7-4 and still look in position to be a playoff contender this season, giving Jackson another chance to change his narrative.
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