Lamar Jackson will soon be named the NFL's best player for the third time in six years. However, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback fails again early in the playoffs.
20.01.2025, 11:41
20.01.2025, 11:45
SDA
Lamar Jackson is a fantastic football player, probably the best in the world at the moment. But the 28-year-old's record in the playoffs? A measly three wins in six years, never making it past the quarter-finals with the Baltimore Ravens despite top-class teammates and one of the best coaches in the league. He therefore has a reputation for not being able to summon up his best performance when it counts.
On Monday night, Jackson and the "Ravens" (in reference to Baltimore poet Edgar Allan Poe) wrote the next heartbreaking chapter of their playoff failure. And this time, too, Lamar Jackson is not free of blame.
First flawed, then brilliant
In the first half, he first threw a bad interception (throw into the arms of the opponent), which had no consequences, then he dropped a ball (fumble) because he was trying too hard, allowing the Buffalo Bills to take a 21:10 halftime lead. Otherwise, however, Jackson played at his MVP level and could still have become a great hero.
With a minute and a half remaining, Baltimore cut the deficit to 25:27 in the freezing cold with temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees in Buffalo and a light snowfall. Instead of the usual one point from a kick after the touchdown, the Ravens needed two points, which are awarded for an additional successful play from the 2-yard line. They appeared to be successful and thus force overtime, but Mark Andrews, an experienced and normally extremely reliable pass receiver, dropped the wet ball on the slippery surface in the snow. The next bitter end was a fact.
Before the duel between Buffalo and Baltimore, many were talking about an anticipated final with the only two candidates for the title of MVP (only the games of the regular season count). Lamar Jackson is the clear favorite over Bills quarterback Josh Allen. He was also responsible for the more spectacular plays on Sunday, but Allen made no mistakes and now has the chance to make it to the Super Bowl for the first time next Sunday against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
"Hold on to the sh...ball"
"You just can't afford to lose the ball like that," Jackson vented his frustration. "We just have to hold on to this sh... ball. Sorry for my language." Nobody wanted to make Andrews a scapegoat. "We win as a team, we lose as a team. In the first half, it was me who lost the ball twice."
He was simply "fed up" with these defeats in the playoffs, Jackson said. He will get more chances to shed his reputation as a playoff loser. However, the pressure is increasing with every year.