Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is coming off of his second MVP season, so it’s no surprise that he is regarded as one of the NFL’s truly elite players.
Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network recently put together a list of the top 100 players in the league, and he ranked Jackson third.
Jackson threw for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 67.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 102.7 in 2023. In addition, he rushed for 821 yards and five scores while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He made his third Pro Bowl appearance and earned his second First-Team All-Pro selection for his efforts.
Most importantly, Jackson led the Ravens to the NFL’s best record at 13-4.
That being said, Jackson’s campaign ended in playoff disappointment once again, as Baltimore fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game thanks to an anemic offensive effort.
Can Lamar Jackson and the Ravens finally get over the hump in 2024?
Jackson and the Ravens keep knocking on the door, but they can’t quite finish the job.
This past season marked the second time in Jackson’s career that Baltimore nailed down the best record in football under his direction. The first occasion came back in 2019, when the Ravens ultimately lost to the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Jackson has gone just 2-4 in the postseason since entering the NFL in 2018, which is in stark juxtaposition to his sparkling 58-19 regular-season mark.
Of course, sample size matters, but there is also little doubt that Jackson has not performed particularly well in the playoffs, as evidenced by his 75.7 passer rating and the fact that he has thrown as many interceptions (six) as touchdowns.
Jackson has certainly had his moments in the postseason, like in the Ravens’ Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans last January. However, he has not been able to do it on a consistent basis in the playoffs, which has somewhat damaged his reputation overall.
Baltimore is once again widely viewed as one of the biggest threats to the Chiefs entering 2024, so we will see if Lamar Jackson can build get the Ravens over the hump this coming season.
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